Lawyer vs Paralegal: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Lawyer vs Paralegal: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 23-1011 and 23-2011). The national median annual wage is $159,670 for lawyers and $62,890 for paralegals (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +4.7% for lawyers and -0.3% for paralegals from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree vs Associate's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | LawyerSOC 23-1011 | ParalegalSOC 23-2011 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $159,670 | $62,890 | Lawyer |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 754,500 | 392,880 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +4.7% | -0.3% | Lawyer |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +40,600 jobs | -1,100 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 28,700 a year | 40,800 a year | Paralegal |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Doctoral or professional degree | Associate's degree | Paralegal |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Telework available (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 68.6% | 46.5% | Lawyer |
| No prior work experience required (share of workers)2025 preliminary BLS ORS | 43.9% | 28.4% | Lawyer |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.69 | 2.85 | Paralegal |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 3.85 | 3.89 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.67 | 4.12 | Lawyer |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Integrity, Attention to Detail, Dependability | Attention to Detail, Dependability, Integrity | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- higher median pay matters most ($159,670 vs $62,890)
- faster projected national growth matters (+4.7% vs -0.3%)
- more telework availability matters (68.6% vs 46.5%)
- starting without prior experience matters (43.9% vs 28.4%)
- more decision-making freedom matters (4.67 vs 4.12)
- a shorter typical education path matters (Associate's degree vs Doctoral or professional degree)
- a lower-pressure work environment matters (2.85 vs 3.69)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 27% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Persuasion (+2.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Financial Resources (+2.1 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Management of Material Resources (+2.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Negotiation (+1.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Programming (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operations Monitoring (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Lawyer
- Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
- Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
- Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
- Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
Paralegal
- Prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and organize and maintain documents in paper or electronic filing system.
- Prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements.
- Investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public records and internet sources, to determine causes of action and to prepare cases.
- Prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Lawyer
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (54.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (19.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Management of companies and enterprises (2.7% of all jobs in this occupation)
Paralegal
- Professional, scientific, and technical services (76.5% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (12.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Insurance carriers and related activities (2.0% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Lawyer → Paralegal: skills to build: no skill rated half a point higher. Careers after Lawyer
- Paralegal → Lawyer: skills to build: Persuasion, Management of Financial Resources, Management of Material Resources. Careers after Paralegal
Go deeper
Lawyer career hub · Lawyer salary · Lawyer how to become · Lawyer career change · Paralegal career hub · Paralegal salary · Paralegal how to become · Paralegal career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Lawyer or Paralegal?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 23-1011 and 23-2011). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “lawyer vs paralegal”, “attorney vs paralegal”, “what is the difference between a paralegal and a lawyer” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).