With Michigan’s business leaders bullish about growth for 2017, it is no surprise that job prospects for corporate paralegals are particularly promising. Though law firms and municipal and district courts will continue to be the largest employers of paralegals, they are also playing an increasingly important role in corporate legal departments.
The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget projects a growth rate of 8.8% between 2014 and 2024, a level of growth expected to generate an average of 167 new jobs for paralegals every year.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan’s paralegals earned an average of $51,570 ($24.80 hourly) as of 2016, while experienced professionals with salaries in the top 10% earned an average of $76,460 ($36.76 hourly).
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Metropolitan Salaries for Michigan’s Paralegals
Flint’s paralegals earn the highest average salary in the state, while the most experienced professionals with salaries within the top 10% working in the Niles-Benton Harbor area were recognized as the top earners in the state overall. Niles made the Forbes Top 100 list of best small towns for business and has been an area that has shown particularly strong job growth for corporate paralegals with experience and specialty certification in everything from corporate law to intellectual property licensing.
Ann Arbor:
- Average – $54,460 ($26.18 hourly)
- Top 10% – $77,880 ($37.44 hourly)
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn:
- Average – $52,130 ($25.06 hourly)
- Top 10% – $77,240 ($37.13 hourly)
Flint:
- Average – $56,810 ($27.31 hourly)
- Top 10% – $71,090 ($34.18 hourly)
Grand Rapids-Wyoming:
- Average – $51,610 ($24.81 hourly)
- Top 10% – $78,340 ($37.67 hourly)
Kalamazoo-Portage:
- Average – $46,130 ($22.18 hourly)
- Top 10% – $62,940 ($30.26 hourly)
Lansing-East Lansing:
- Average – $53,890 ($25.91 hourly)
- Top 10% – $69,970 ($33.64 hourly)
Niles-Benton Harbor:
- Average – $52,850 ($25.41 hourly)
- Top 10% – $78,930 ($37.95 hourly)
Saginaw:
- Average – $40,490 ($19.47 hourly)
- Top 10% – $50,830 ($24.44 hourly)
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills:
- Average – $49,740 ($23.91 hourly)
- Top 10% – $72,960 ($35.08 hourly)
Salary and employment data from the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016.