U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Small Business Administration / Paralegal Specialist

Job-title file

Paralegal Specialist

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

403 employees hold this title in Small Business Administration. Median total compensation for the role is $68,405, below the department median of $79,560.

Employees: 403
Total payroll: $28.3M
Role median: $68,405
Agency median: $79,560
Comparison: Below

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$0$102,463+

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

How total compensation varies among the 403 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. Small Business Administration pays a median base salary of $69,154 for this role, 10% above that figure — about the 59th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Small Business Administration sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$44,740

$50,340

$62,890

$80,080

$101,500

Small Business Administration median · $69,154

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 Small Business Administration’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Computed over the 397 of 403 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Small Business Administration is $68,405, 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 Small Business Administration, the median of $68,405 ranks #51 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

Jureka Hightower

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$149,422

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $149,422
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $149,422
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $149,422
Basic Pay (before locality): $112,128
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 10
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Small Business Administration, Jureka Hightower serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $149,422. They are classified at grade 13.

John Russell

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$149,422

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $149,422
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $149,422
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $149,422
Basic Pay (before locality): $112,128
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 17
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Small Business Administration, John Russell serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $149,422. They are classified at grade 13.

Megan Moore

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$133,692

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $133,692
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $133,692
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $133,692
Basic Pay (before locality): $100,324
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 11
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Megan Moore works as a Paralegal Specialist for Small Business Administration based in Washington, District of Columbia. Megan earned $133,692 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Henry Soria

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$109,673

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $109,673
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $109,673
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Santa Ana
Work county: Orange
Work state: California

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $109,673
Basic Pay (before locality): $80,737
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 063420059
Length of Service (Years): 20
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Henry Soria works as a Paralegal Specialist for Small Business Administration based in Santa Ana, California. Henry earned $109,673 in 2024. Their pay grade is 11.

Kisha Sears

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$107,068

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $107,068
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $107,068
Pay grade: 12
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $107,068
Basic Pay (before locality): $84,365
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Small Business Administration, Kisha Sears serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Fort Worth, Texas. Their 2024 pay totaled $107,068. They are classified at grade 12.

Brian Cheng

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$106,861

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $106,861
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $106,861
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Santa Ana
Work county: Orange
Work state: California

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $106,861
Basic Pay (before locality): $78,667
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 063420059
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Brian Cheng holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Santa Ana, California. In 2024, their total compensation was $106,861. Their pay grade is 11.

Margaret Pascual

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$105,289

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $105,289
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $105,289
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Chicago
Work county: Cook
Work state: Illinois

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $105,289
Basic Pay (before locality): $80,737
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 171670031
Length of Service (Years): 48
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Margaret Pascual works as a Paralegal Specialist for Small Business Administration based in Chicago, Illinois. Margaret earned $105,289 in 2024. Their pay grade is 11.

Marybeth Noonan

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$104,861

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $104,861
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $104,861
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Denver
Work county: Denver
Work state: Colorado

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $104,861
Basic Pay (before locality): $80,737
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 080600031
Length of Service (Years): 24
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Small Business Administration, Marybeth Noonan serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Denver, Colorado. Their 2024 pay totaled $104,861. They are classified at grade 11.

Dawn Allen

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$102,463

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $102,463
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $102,463
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $102,463
Basic Pay (before locality): $80,737
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Dawn Allen holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2024, their total compensation was $102,463. Their pay grade is 11.

Nhu Nguyen

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$102,463

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $102,463
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $102,463
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $102,463
Basic Pay (before locality): $80,737
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Nhu Nguyen is a Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Fort Worth, Texas. 2024 total compensation came to $102,463. They are classified at grade 11.

Linda Bedore

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$102,463

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $102,463
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $102,463
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $102,463
Basic Pay (before locality): $80,737
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 20
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Linda Bedore holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2024, their total compensation was $102,463. Their pay grade is 11.

Kellye Warren

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$102,463

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $102,463
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $102,463
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $102,463
Basic Pay (before locality): $80,737
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 30
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Small Business Administration, Kellye Warren serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Fort Worth, Texas. Their 2024 pay totaled $102,463. They are classified at grade 11.

Lori Brown

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$99,836

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $99,836
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,836
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $99,836
Basic Pay (before locality): $78,667
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Lori Brown is a Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Fort Worth, Texas. 2024 total compensation came to $99,836. They are classified at grade 11.

Brenda Gikas

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$99,836

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $99,836
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,836
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $99,836
Basic Pay (before locality): $78,667
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Brenda Gikas holds the role of Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2024, their total compensation was $99,836. Their pay grade is 11.

Garland Hartsfield

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$99,836

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $99,836
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,836
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $99,836
Basic Pay (before locality): $78,667
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Garland Hartsfield is a Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Fort Worth, Texas. 2024 total compensation came to $99,836. They are classified at grade 11.

Vanetta Wallace

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$99,836

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $99,836
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,836
Pay grade: 11
Work city: Fort Worth
Work county: Tarrant
Work state: Texas

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $99,836
Basic Pay (before locality): $78,667
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 482450439
Length of Service (Years): 16
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Small Business Administration, Vanetta Wallace serves as a Paralegal Specialist based in Fort Worth, Texas. Their 2024 pay totaled $99,836. They are classified at grade 11.

Shantal Phillips

Paralegal Specialist/Small Business Administration

2024 total comp

$99,200

Sub-department: Small Business Administration
Base pay: $99,200
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $99,200
Pay grade: 12
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $99,200
Basic Pay (before locality): $74,441
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 1
Occupation Code (OPM): 0950
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Shantal Phillips is a Paralegal Specialist at Small Business Administration based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $99,200. They are classified at grade 12.