How much do paralegals make?

The average annual salary for all paralegals according to the May 2013 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data was $51,170. On the low end, 10 percent of paralegals earned $29,740 or less per year, while on the high end, 10 percent made $76,960 or more.

The top-paying industry for paralegals was software publishing, which offered an average salary of $77,140 per year as of May 2013. Among the largest employment sectors, the top-paying was the federal executive branch, where paralegals earned $66,800 on average. The District of Columbia was the top-paying state or territory, with an average annual salary of $73,050.