Side-by-side distribution
Paralegal
$82,319
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42.9%
- Live roles
- 536
Privacy Officer
$233,650
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42%
- Live roles
- 50
Highest-paying jobs
Paralegal
Certified Paralegal
Corporate Paralegal - Chicago
Corporate Paralegal
Corporate Paralegal - Dallas
Corporate Paralegal - NYC
Assistant General Counsel, Legal & Business Affairs - Ad Tech & Media Transactions
Corporate Paralegal
Commercial Paralegal - Contracts Manager
Commercial Paralegal - Contracts Manager
Highest-paying jobs
Associate General Counsel, Product and Privacy
Director, Corporate Counsel - Privacy
Senior Privacy & AI Counsel, San Francisco, CA (Hybrid) (963-SLS)
Associate General Counsel, Privacy & Compliance
Senior Counsel, Privacy and Compliance
Associate General Counsel, Product & Privacy
Product & Privacy Counsel
Senior Counsel - Product, Privacy and AI
Senior Product & Privacy Counsel
Senior Privacy Counsel
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Modern Family Law
|
$67,600 | 19 |
Parnalllaw
|
$66,580 | 18 |
| WE Wilson Elser - Business & Legal Professionals | $75,000 | 15 |
Mandarich Law Group, LLP
|
$52,000 | 11 |
| BJ Brandon J. Broderick | $80,000 | 10 |
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
|
$91,380 | 8 |
Build My Great Team
|
$67,650 | 8 |
Morgan & Morgan, P.A.
|
$95,000 | 7 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| SA Scale AI | $297,900 | 1 |
|
Okta
|
$285,000 | 1 |
|
Recursion
|
$280,830 | 1 |
|
Solutuslegal
|
$270,000 | 1 |
|
Neuralink
|
$253,000 | 1 |
|
Nova Credit
|
$252,350 | 1 |
|
OPSWAT
|
$250,000 | 1 |
|
Verkada
|
$245,000 | 1 |
Paralegal salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $99,000 | 13 |
| Boston | $95,410 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $95,000 | 16 |
| Toronto | $89,421 | 8 |
| Seattle | $87,500 | 13 |
| New York | $82,500 | 37 |
| Chicago | $75,000 | 11 |
| Denver | $72,500 | 5 |
| Austin | $66,580 | 3 |
Privacy Officer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $252,350 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $236,825 | 10 |
Paralegal vs Privacy Officer: which pays more?
The median for Paralegal is $82,319 per year (typically $66,580–$105,000), versus $233,650 for Privacy Officer ($206,254–$252,350). That puts Privacy Officer about 184% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Paralegal and Privacy Officer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.