Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/united-states/ Title: Paralegal hourly rate in the United States, 2026 | Deftridge Summary: Paralegal pay in the United States: median wage $32 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $45. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025. United States · **Updated November 3, 2026** # Paralegal hourly rate in United States The market median wage for a Paralegal in the United States is **$32.13 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$45 an hour** on Deftridge. **$45/hr** typical contractor rate, senior **$32.13/hr** median wage **$26-41** middle half of wages **$980** a month at 5 hours a week ## Paralegal wage percentiles in United States 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 | $22.86 | $500 | $47,500 | | 25th | $25.71 | $560 | $53,500 | | Median | $32.13 | $700 | $66,800 | | 75th | $40.91 | $890 | $85,100 | | 90th | $51.85 | $1,120 | $107,800 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025; aged to October 2026; about 367,220 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/). ## United States in numbers What sets the United States apart for a Paralegal, from the same sources as the table above. - **$53.88** highest median wage, District of Columbia - **$21.23** lowest median wage, Mississippi - **367,220** people employed in the role - **$59.83** median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest in the country - **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it - Self-employment tax is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare; the employer-equivalent half is deductible in working out adjusted gross income. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) - For 2026 the first $184,500 of combined wages, tips and net self-employment earnings is subject to the Social Security part. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) ## What contractors receive The Deftridge rate for a Paralegal in the United States 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 | - Regular role **$45** - One-off task **$55** - Task bundle **$50** ## Paralegal pay by region in United States Typical contractor rate for a senior Paralegal, highest first; 9 of 51 places shown. | Place | Median wage | Contractor rate | | --- | --- | --- | | District of Columbia | $53.88 | $80 | | California | $44.66 | $65 | | Washington | $40.55 | $60 | | Colorado | $39.94 | $60 | | Massachusetts | $38.66 | $55 | | New York | $36.28 | $55 | | Vermont | $34.19 | $50 | | Texas | $33.50 | $50 | | Minnesota | $33.43 | $50 | ## Highest-paying metro areas Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS). - [San Jose $59.83/hr median wage · range $46-73](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [San Francisco $52.18/hr median wage · range $40-62](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [Santa Maria $47.75/hr median wage · range $36-50](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [San Diego $47.46/hr median wage · range $32-59](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [Sacramento $47.24/hr median wage · range $37-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [Napa $46.74/hr median wage · range $36-51](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [Vallejo $46.26/hr median wage · range $37-47](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [Santa Rosa $45.96/hr median wage · range $36-51](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [Yuba City $44.66/hr median wage · range $35-59](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/california/) - [Seattle $44.16/hr median wage · range $39-58](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/washington/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job. [Paralegal rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/paralegal/) · [Paralegal jobs in United States](https://deftridge.com/jobs/paralegal/united-states/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)