Paralegal salary in Louisville, KY-IN
Louisville pays paralegals more than Kentucky as a whole but less than the country. The median is $61,270 a year1: 2.4% above the Kentucky statewide median of $59,830 and 2.6% below the US median of $62,890. That is in the top quarter of US areas (#116 of 506). With about 1,460 paralegals, no area in Kentucky employs more.
BLS occupation 23-2011, area Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Louisville against Kentucky and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville, KY-IN | $38,890 | $61,270 | $81,000 | |
| Kentucky | $36,560 | $59,830 | $78,730 | |
| United States | $44,740 | $62,890 | $101,500 |
The middle half of paralegals in Louisville earns $49,840–$74,980. The top tenth earns $81,000 or more, 2.1 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 2.3 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $25,140 wide, between the figure for Kentucky ($23,700) and the US figure ($29,740).
What to budget for a paralegal here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,890 | $3,241 | $18.70 | $50,181 |
| 25th percentile | $49,840 | $4,153 | $23.96 | $64,310 |
| Median | $61,270 | $5,106 | $29.46 | $79,058 |
| 75th percentile | $74,980 | $6,248 | $36.05 | $96,748 |
| 90th percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $38.94 | $104,516 |
The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $11,430 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $13,710, or about $17,690 once benefits are added. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $62,890 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Louisville, and the Kentucky statewide median of $59,830 falls between the 25th percentile and the median.
What a hire really costs in Louisville
At the $61,270 median, a local hire costs about $79,058 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $17,788 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for paralegals we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Louisville
Of the 17 roles we track in Louisville, this one ranks #7 by median pay, between marketing specialists ($63,280) and sales development representatives ($55,190). Project Coordinator is the highest at $82,660.
| Role | Median | vs paralegal | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Assistant | +3.4% | 890 | |
| Marketing Specialist | +3.3% | 2,290 | |
| Paralegal | this role | 1,460 | |
| Sales Development Representative | -9.9% | 5,190 | |
| Payroll Specialist | -10.9% | 600 |
Measured against the US median, paralegals rank #3 of the 17 roles we track in Louisville (-2.6%), between administrative assistants (-0.9%) and office managers (-2.9%). The typical role here is at -5.6%, so, measured against the US, paralegals cost more in Louisville than the area's general pay level would suggest. Paralegals hold 2.2% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Louisville, 1.8% across Kentucky and 2.5% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in Kentucky
Across the 10 areas of Kentucky with data for this job, the median runs from $38,480 in the West Kentucky nonmetro area to $63,640 in Lexington-Fayette, a gap of $25,160 a year. No other area in Kentucky has as many paralegals, and 8 of the other 9 pay less.
| Area | Median | vs Louisville | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | +3.9% | 640 | |
| Louisville, KY-IN | this area | 1,460 | |
| Elizabethtown, KY | -1.2% | 80 | |
| Bowling Green, KY | -3.4% | 160 | |
| Paducah, KY-IL | -3.5% | 90 | |
| Owensboro, KY | -13.0% | 60 | |
| Central Kentucky (Nonmetro) | -19.0% | 280 |
Louisville against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Louisville is #53 of 503 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside Kentucky, Merced and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie pay just above Louisville and Rochester and Peoria just below. All four are within $80 a year of the median in Louisville. Of the three markets with about as many paralegals, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Louisville | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie, NY | +0.1% | 600 | pay | |
| Merced, CA | +0.1% | 90 | pay | |
| Louisville, KY-IN | this area | 1,460 | ||
| Rochester, MN | -0.1% | 200 | pay | |
| Peoria, IL | -0.1% | 370 | pay | |
| Albany-Schenectady, NY | -1.0% | 1,340 | jobs | |
| Bridgeport-Stamford, CT | -2.2% | 1,600 | jobs | |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | -6.9% | 1,490 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a paralegal in Louisville, KY-IN?
About $79,058 a year at the median, or $6,588 a month: $61,270 in pay plus about $17,788 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do paralegals earn in Louisville?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $61,270 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $38,890, the 90th $81,000, and the middle half earned $49,840 to $74,980.
Is Louisville cheaper than the rest of Kentucky for paralegals?
No, it costs more: a median of $61,270 against $59,830 statewide. The next area up in Kentucky is Lexington-Fayette at $63,640, the next down Elizabethtown at $60,540.
How many paralegals work in Louisville?
BLS counts about 1,460 in the May 2025 survey. No other area in Kentucky has as many.
Does a paralegal cost more than a sales development representative in Louisville?
Yes: $6,080 a year more at the median. The medians are $61,270 and $55,190.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 23-2011: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.