Paralegal hourly rate in Illinois
The market median wage for a Paralegal in Illinois is $32.62 an hour. A senior part-time contractor typically receives $45 an hour on Deftridge.
Paralegal wage percentiles in Illinois
Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median.
| Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $23.13 | $500 | $48,100 |
| 25th | $25.56 | $550 | $53,200 |
| Median | $32.62 | $710 | $67,800 |
| 75th | $42.33 | $920 | $88,000 |
| 90th | $53.56 | $1,160 | $111,400 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024; aged to October 2026; about 12,430 people employed in the role. How rates are built.
Illinois in numbers
What sets Illinois apart for a Paralegal, from the same sources as the table above.
- +2%
- median wage against the United States median of $32.13
- 16th of 51
- states by median wage for this role
- 12,430
- people employed in the role in this place
- $35.05
- median wage in the Chicago metro area, the highest here
- $35
- country floor: no United States rate is published below it
What contractors receive
The Deftridge rate for a Paralegal in Illinois by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown.
| Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist | $40 | $870 |
| Senior | $45 | $980 |
Paralegal pay across United States
Typical contractor rate for a senior Paralegal, highest first; 10 of 51 places shown. By median wage Illinois ranks 16 of 51.
| Place | Median wage | Contractor rate |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $53.88 | $80 |
| California | $44.66 | $65 |
| Washington | $40.55 | $60 |
| Alaska | $33.17 | $50 |
| Hawaii | $33.05 | $50 |
| New Hampshire | $32.91 | $50 |
| Illinois | $32.62 | $45 |
| Delaware | $32.55 | $45 |
| Oregon | $32.52 | $45 |
| North Dakota | $32.51 | $45 |
Metro areas in Illinois
Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS).
Questions about pay, fees and privacy
The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: Pricing explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; How it works covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job.
Paralegal rates in every country · Paralegal jobs in Illinois · Methodology