How much does a Paralegal make in Colorado?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $73,380 for Paralegals in Colorado as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,210 and the 75th-percentile is $94,430.

What does the top of the Paralegal pay scale look like in Colorado?

The 90th percentile lands at $106,080. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $94,430.

How many Paralegals does Colorado employ?

BLS OES counts 5,430 Paralegals employed in Colorado in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Colorado different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Colorado's overall index of 101.9 reflects rents 130.5, services 86.8, and goods 99.2.

Is Colorado a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Paralegals?

No — Colorado's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

What are the limits of these Paralegal salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Colorado Paralegal Salary 2026 — BLS Median $73K, Real Take-Home $72K

TL;DR

Paralegals in Colorado earn a BLS median of $73,380, with real take-home of $72,043 after BEA RPP adjustment.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #2 of 51; nominal rank is #4.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Wage envelope: $48,840 (P10) to $106,080 (P90), with quartiles at $59,210 and $94,430.

Wage breakdown — Colorado

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$48,840	$47,950
P25 (lower quartile)	$59,210	$58,131
P50 (median)	$73,380	$72,043
P75 (upper quartile)	$94,430	$92,709
P90 (top tier)	$106,080	$104,147
Mean	$76,570	$75,175
Employment	5,430 Paralegals in Colorado

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Colorado index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	101.9
Goods	99.2
Services	86.8
Rents	130.5

Colorado's overall RPP (101.9) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Colorado (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Paralegal)	$73,380	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,391	10.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,536	4.4% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,614	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$57,840	78.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$56,786	÷ (101.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Colorado state-tax burden means for Paralegal take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $57,840 (78.8% of gross). After the 101.9 RPP, real take-home is $56,786.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $61,010 for Paralegals with mean pay of $66,510 and total employment of 367,220. Colorado sits at #4 on nominal pay and #2 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Colorado climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Paralegal make in Colorado?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $73,380 for Paralegals in Colorado as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $59,210 and the 75th-percentile is $94,430.
What does the top of the Paralegal pay scale look like in Colorado?: The 90th percentile lands at $106,080. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $94,430.
How many Paralegals does Colorado employ?: BLS OES counts 5,430 Paralegals employed in Colorado in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Colorado different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Colorado's overall index of 101.9 reflects rents 130.5, services 86.8, and goods 99.2.
Is Colorado a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Paralegals?: No — Colorado's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
What are the limits of these Paralegal salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 23-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Colorado Paralegal pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.