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

The 90th percentile lands at $87,900. 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 $73,840.

How many Paralegals does Utah employ?

BLS OES counts 2,890 Paralegals employed in Utah in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Utah rank for Paralegal pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

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

No — Utah'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.

Paralegal-to-lawyer transition cost in Utah?

Utah-licensed paralegals commonly weigh JD return-on-investment versus continued paralegal tenure. The all-in JD path (3 years tuition $50-200K + 3 years foregone paralegal income $150-200K) totals roughly $200-400K. Against a Utah BigLaw associate first-year salary on the published scale or a federal/state government attorney starting band, breakeven is typically 4-8 years post-graduation. Many Utah senior paralegals find the realized lifetime-NPV gain modest after accounting for opportunity cost and BigLaw burnout attrition.

Utah Paralegal Salary 2026 — BLS Median $56K, Real Take-Home $58K

TL;DR

BLS reports Utah Paralegal median pay at $55,630. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $58,120.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
P25-P75 spread runs $47,410 to $73,840; P10 floor $41,060, P90 ceiling $87,900.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #34 of 51; nominal rank is #33.

Wage breakdown — Utah

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$41,060	$42,898
P25 (lower quartile)	$47,410	$49,532
P50 (median)	$55,630	$58,120
P75 (upper quartile)	$73,840	$77,145
P90 (top tier)	$87,900	$91,834
Mean	$60,240	$62,936
Employment	2,890 Paralegals in Utah

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Utah index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	95.7
Goods	94.7
Services	73.0
Rents	106.2

Utah's overall RPP (95.7) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Paralegal)	$55,630	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$4,538	8.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,795	4.5% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,256	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$45,042	81.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$47,058	÷ (95.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $45,042 (81.0% of gross). After the 95.7 RPP, real take-home is $47,058.

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. Utah sits at #33 on nominal pay and #34 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Utah falls 1 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Paralegal pay scale look like in Utah?: The 90th percentile lands at $87,900. 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 $73,840.
How many Paralegals does Utah employ?: BLS OES counts 2,890 Paralegals employed in Utah in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Utah rank for Paralegal pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Utah ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Is Utah a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Paralegals?: No — Utah'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.
Paralegal-to-lawyer transition cost in Utah?: Utah-licensed paralegals commonly weigh JD return-on-investment versus continued paralegal tenure. The all-in JD path (3 years tuition $50-200K + 3 years foregone paralegal income $150-200K) totals roughly $200-400K. Against a Utah BigLaw associate first-year salary on the published scale or a federal/state government attorney starting band, breakeven is typically 4-8 years post-graduation. Many Utah senior paralegals find the realized lifetime-NPV gain modest after accounting for opportunity cost and BigLaw burnout attrition.

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 Utah 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.