U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Federal Trade Commission / Paralegal Specialist

Job-title file

Paralegal Specialist

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

63 employees hold this title in Federal Trade Commission. Median total compensation for the role is $59,653, below the department median of $185,824.

Employees: 63
Total payroll: $4.2M
Role median: $59,653
Agency median: $185,824
Comparison: Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$50,659$107,852+

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

How total compensation varies among the 63 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. Federal Trade Commission pays a median base salary of $59,653 for this role, 5% below that figure — about the 44th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Federal Trade Commission sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$44,740

$50,340

$62,890

$80,080

$101,500

Federal Trade Commission median · $59,653

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 Federal Trade Commission’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Median total compensation for this role at Federal Trade Commission is $59,653, 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 Federal Trade Commission, the median of $59,653 ranks #52 of 54.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Federal Housing Finance Agency

$176,909 · 1

Securities and Exchange Commission

$145,791 · 84

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

$143,249 · 12

Federal Reserve System

$141,092 · 20

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

$130,932 · 29

Federal Communications Commission

$128,956 · 5

Department of Treasury

$125,827 · 5

Social Security Administration

$120,246 · 702

Fed Retirement Thrift Investment Board

$119,037 · 1

Export-Import Bank of the United States

$119,037 · 1

U.S. Agency for International Development

$117,962 · 3

Department of Health and Human Services

$115,981 · 65

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

District of Columbia

$98,412 · 99

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

Amare Ashmeade

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$73,465

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $500
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $73,465
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Amare Ashmeade holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $73,465. Their pay grade is 09.

Elena Hoffman

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$73,365

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $400
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $73,365
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Federal Trade Commission, Elena Hoffman serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $73,365. They are classified at grade 09.

Charles York

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$73,165

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $200
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $73,165
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Charles York is a Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $73,165. They are classified at grade 09.

Olivia Barney-Fishbein

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,965

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,965
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Olivia Barney-Fishbein holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $72,965. Their pay grade is 09.

Sandra Kendall

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,965

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,965
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Sandra Kendall works as a Paralegal Specialist for Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. Sandra earned $72,965 in 2024. Their pay grade is 09.

Jillian Canning

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,965

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,965
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Jillian Canning holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $72,965. Their pay grade is 09.

Casey Doherty

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,965

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,965
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 3
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Casey Doherty works as a Paralegal Specialist for Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. Casey earned $72,965 in 2024. Their pay grade is 09.

Molly Smith

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,965

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,965
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Molly Smith is a Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $72,965. They are classified at grade 09.

Sunila Steephen

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,965

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,965
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Sunila Steephen is a Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $72,965. They are classified at grade 09.

Julia Steinberg

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,965

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,965
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,965
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,965
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,754
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Julia Steinberg holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. In 2024, their total compensation was $72,965. Their pay grade is 09.

Spencer Lafata

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,796

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,796
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,796
Pay grade: 09
Work city: New York - New York
Work county: New York
Work state: New York

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,796
Basic Pay (before locality): $53,043
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 364170061
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Spencer Lafata holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in New York - New York, New York. In 2024, their total compensation was $72,796. Their pay grade is 09.

Randy Miller

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$72,703

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $72,703
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $72,703
Pay grade: 07
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $72,703
Basic Pay (before locality): $54,557
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 4
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Randy Miller is a Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $72,703. They are classified at grade 07.

Jacob Frech

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$70,885

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $70,685
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $200
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $70,885
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $70,685
Basic Pay (before locality): $53,043
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 2
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Jacob Frech is a Paralegal Specialist at Federal Trade Commission based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $70,885. They are classified at grade 09.

Qwai-Zia Pennix

Paralegal Specialist/Federal Trade Commission

2024 total comp

$70,685

Sub-department: Federal Trade Commission
Base pay: $70,685
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $70,685
Pay grade: 09
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $70,685
Basic Pay (before locality): $53,043
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Federal Trade Commission, Qwai-Zia Pennix serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $70,685. They are classified at grade 09.