Legal Associate
Legal Associate Salary
$17.5K - $27K
1% of jobs
$27K - $36.5K
13% of jobs
$40.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$36.5K - $46K
23% of jobs
The median wage is $51.8K / yr.
$46K - $55.5K
21% of jobs
$55.5K - $65K
16% of jobs
$65.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$65K - $74.5K
11% of jobs
$74.5K - $84K
4% of jobs
$84K - $93.5K
3% of jobs
$93.5K - $103K
1% of jobs
$103K - $112.5K
3% of jobs
$112.5K - $122K
3% of jobs
$17.5K
$52K
$124.5K
$60,327
/year
$29.00
/hour
Legal Associate Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$60,327
Columbus
Ohio
$58,270
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How much does a Legal Associate make?
As of Aug 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a Legal Associate in the United States is $60,327 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $29.00 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,160/week or $5,027/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $124,500 and as low as $17,500, the majority of Legal Associate salaries currently range between $40,000 (25th percentile) to $70,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $108,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Legal Associate varies greatly (by as much as 30000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Legal Associate in your area makes on average $58,270 per year, or $2,057 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $60,327. Ohio ranks number 43 out of 50 states nationwide for Legal Associate salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Legal Associate jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Legal Associate on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Legal Associate Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Legal Associate job is above the national average. Topping the list is Palo Alto, CA, , with Burlingame, CA, and Bar Harbor, ME, close behind in the second and third positions. Bar Harbor, ME, beats the national average by $39,261 (65.1%), and Palo Alto, CA, furthers that trend with another $50,953 (84.5%) above the $60,327 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Legal Associate appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 21% between Palo Alto, CA, and North Little Rock, AR, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Legal Associate role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Palo Alto, CA | $111,280 | $53.50 |
Burlingame, CA | $110,727 | $53.23 |
Bar Harbor, ME | $99,588 | $47.88 |
San Gabriel, CA | $99,366 | $47.77 |
Laguna Niguel, CA | $96,649 | $46.47 |
Wood Dale, IL | $95,986 | $46.15 |
Springfield, VA | $95,574 | $45.95 |
Incline Village, NV | $92,590 | $44.51 |
Boardman, OR | $92,171 | $44.31 |
North Little Rock, AR | $89,226 | $42.90 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Legal Associate Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Legal Associate category.
For example Part Time Law Firm Partner jobs pay as much as $72,815 (120.7%) more than the average Legal Associate salary of $60,327. If you're qualified, finding work as a Part Time Law Firm Partner may help you make more money than that of the average Legal Associate position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Part Time Law Firm Partner | $133,142 | $64.01 |
Legal Biller | $85,791 | $41.25 |
Corporate Secretary | $77,037 | $37.04 |
Legal Administrative | $53,753 | $25.84 |
Legal Tech | $50,817 | $24.43 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
