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U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Department of Commerce / Paralegal Specialist

Job-title file

Paralegal Specialist

Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.

146 employees hold this title in Department of Commerce. Median total compensation for the role is $108,078, below the department median of $127,707.

Employees
146
Total payroll
$16M
Role median
$108,078
Agency median
$127,707
Comparison
Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$58,068$146,126+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 146 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

Paralegal Specialist pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Paralegals and Legal Assistants — about 392,880 people — is $62,890. Department of Commerce pays a median base salary of $107,590 for this role, 71% above that figureabove the 90th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Department of Commerce sits in the local pay range

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$44,740
$50,340
$62,890
$80,080
$101,500
Department of Commerce median · $107,590

The bar is the range of annual wages for Paralegals and Legal Assistants across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Department of Commerce’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Median total compensation for this role at Department of Commerce is $108,078, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

Paralegal Specialist is held in 54 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Department of Commerce, the median of $108,078 ranks #21 of 54.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Median total compensation for the Paralegal Specialist role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Paralegal Specialist beyond U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

This role is reported in 4 jurisdictions. In U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense), the median of $96,330 ranks #3 of 4. See Paralegal Specialist across all of U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

Connecticut
$148,330 · 8
Florida
$44,437 · 405

Median total compensation for comparable Paralegal Specialistroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Dana Bowins

Paralegal Specialist/Department of Commerce

2024 total comp
$181,216
Sub-department
National Institute of Standards and Technician
Base pay
$181,216
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$181,216
Pay grade
04
Work city
Gaithersburg
Work county
Montgomery
Work state
Maryland

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality)
$181,216
Basic Pay (before locality)
$181,216
Country
United States
Duty Station Code
240630031
Length of Service (Years)
12
Occupation Code (OPM)
0950
Pay Plan (OPM)
ZA

At Department of Commerce, Dana Bowins serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Their 2024 pay totaled $181,216. They are classified at grade 04.

Steven Bartlett

Paralegal Specialist/Department of Commerce

2024 total comp
$153,354
Sub-department
Patent and Trademark Office
Base pay
$153,354
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$153,354
Pay grade
13
Work city
Springfield
Work county
Fairfax
Work state
Virginia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality)
$153,354
Basic Pay (before locality)
$115,079
Country
United States
Duty Station Code
512305059
Length of Service (Years)
17
Occupation Code (OPM)
0950
Pay Plan (OPM)
GS

Steven Bartlett is a Paralegal Specialist at Department of Commerce based in Springfield, Virginia. 2024 total compensation came to $153,354. They are classified at grade 13.

Joseph Mccabe

Paralegal Specialist/Department of Commerce

2024 total comp
$151,858
Sub-department
Nat Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrative
Base pay
$151,858
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$151,858
Pay grade
13
Work city
Juneau
Work county
Juneau
Work state
Alaska

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality)
$151,858
Basic Pay (before locality)
$115,079
Country
United States
Duty Station Code
021130110
Length of Service (Years)
34
Occupation Code (OPM)
0950
Pay Plan (OPM)
GS

Joseph Mccabe works as a Paralegal Specialist for Department of Commerce based in Juneau, Alaska. Joseph earned $151,858 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Sandra Lambright

Paralegal Specialist/Department of Commerce

2024 total comp
$145,489
Sub-department
Office of the Secretary
Base pay
$145,489
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$145,489
Pay grade
13
Work city
Washington
Work county
District of Columbia
Work state
District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality)
$145,489
Basic Pay (before locality)
$109,177
Country
United States
Duty Station Code
110010001
Length of Service (Years)
35
Occupation Code (OPM)
0950
Pay Plan (OPM)
GS

At Department of Commerce, Sandra Lambright serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $145,489. They are classified at grade 13.