Paralegals and Legal Assistants · SOC 23-2011
Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary in the Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area
Figures describe the Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area, a BLS-defined region outside metropolitan areas — not a single city or town.
Paralegals and Legal Assistants in the Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area earned a median of $48,670 per year ($23.40 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $43,790 at the 10th percentile to $63,740 at the 90th. BLS estimates 100 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Paralegals and Legal Assistants in the Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area earn more than $48,670 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $46,920 and $53,290.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $43,790 | $46,920 | $48,670 | $53,290 | $63,740 |
| Hourly | $21.05 | $22.56 | $23.40 | $25.62 | $30.64 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area$48,670 median for Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area; middle half earns $46,920 to $53,290
- Iowastate$54,550 median for Iowa; middle half earns $47,820 to $66,560
- United Statesnational$62,890 median for United States; middle half earns $50,340 to $80,080
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −11% vs Iowa overall and −23% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Other metro areas in Iowa
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for paralegals and legal assistants, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan areathis page$48,670 median for Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area; middle half earns $46,920 to $53,290
- $66,400 median for Iowa City metro area; middle half earns $54,730 to $83,520
- $60,080 median for Des Moines metro area; middle half earns $48,570 to $76,930
- $57,420 median for Cedar Rapids metro area; middle half earns $47,520 to $63,590
- $57,030 median for Davenport metro area; middle half earns $48,060 to $65,980
- $56,100 median for Sioux City metro area; middle half earns $48,270 to $62,650
- $55,740 median for Dubuque metro area; middle half earns $48,350 to $62,280
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for paralegals and legal assistantss · Highest-paying occupations in Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.