Paralegal Specialist
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Paralegal Specialist occupation series (code 0950), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Legal and Kindred Group family, Paralegal Specialist counts 5,165 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.3% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.1% from the prior period; pay averages $107,719, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 5,165
- Share of workforce
- 0.3%
- Avg salary
- $107,719
- Avg tenure
- 15.8 yrs
FedScope read on Paralegal Specialist (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 5,165 people in the Paralegal Specialist occupation (OPM code 0950), accounting for 0.3% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 0.1% versus the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.
Paralegal Specialist pays $107,719 per year on average, moving up 0.1% from the prior period (a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change). Employees in this role stay an average of 15.8 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Code 09, the Legal and Kindred Group family, is where the federal government classifies Paralegal Specialist alongside 17 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Paralegal Specialist postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Legal and Kindred Group family.
Paralegal Specialist makes up 4.7% of the 110,958 employees across the Legal and Kindred Group family, ranking #5 of 18 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (65th percentile) of pay among Legal and Kindred Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Paralegal Specialist pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$107,719
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-8.2%
Where Paralegal Specialist ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $107,719 is higher than 59% of federal occupation series (320 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Paralegal Specialist sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Paralegal Specialist ranks higher than 59%.
Related Occupations in Legal and Kindred Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Attorney | 35,986 | $177,921 | 13.6 yrs |
| Contact Representative | 29,201 | $64,454 | 9.3 yrs |
| Veterans Claims Examining | 18,099 | $92,511 | 13.3 yrs |
| General Legal and Kindred Administration | 8,711 | $82,876 | 12.3 yrs |
| Legal Assistance | 3,326 | $69,159 | 12.5 yrs |
| Hearings and Appeals | 3,231 | n/a | 15.9 yrs |
| Passport and Visa Examining | 2,035 | $92,682 | 11.3 yrs |
| Legal Instruments Examining | 1,261 | $73,021 | 11.7 yrs |
| Administrative Law Judge | 1,189 | $208,642 | 20.7 yrs |
| Claims Assistance and Examining | 925 | $67,330 | 18.9 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Paralegal Specialist outside the Legal and Kindred Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (5,165 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($107,719 here).
Key takeaways
- Paralegal Specialist pays below the federal average by 8.2% ($107,719 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 59th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 5,165 employees, 0.3% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.1% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Paralegal Specialist ranks #85 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Paralegal Specialist makes up 4.7% of the 110,958 employees across the Legal and Kindred Group family, ranking #5 of 18 occupations in that family by headcount.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.