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2026 Highest Paid Legal Research Grads in the The Plains States Region

[Legal Research](/majors/legal-studies-and-professions/legal-research/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a legal research degree into the strongest early-career earnings.

To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the early-career earnings of their legal research graduates.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Legal Research Grads in the The Plains States Region

2026 Highest Paid Legal Research Grads in the The Plains States Region

If you want to know which schools send legal research graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.

Highest Paid Legal Research Graduates

1

University Of St Thomas Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN

$114,376 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of St Thomas Minnesota tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying legal research schools in the The Plains States Region. University Of St Thomas Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul. Legal Research graduates of University Of St Thomas Minnesota earn a median of about $114,376 a year early in their careers.

2

Washington University In St Louis
St. Louis, MO

$61,499 Average Early-Career Salary

A rank of #2 makes Washington University In St Louis one of the highest-paying schools for legal research. Located in the suburb of St. Louis, Washington University In St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career legal research graduates from Washington University In St Louis make a median of around $61,499 per year.

3

University Of Missouri Columbia
Columbia, MO

$53,750 Average Early-Career Salary

Strong graduate earnings at University Of Missouri Columbia earned it the #3 place for legal research. Located in the city of Columbia, University Of Missouri Columbia is a public institution. Legal Research graduates of University Of Missouri Columbia earn a median of about $53,750 a year early in their careers.

View All Legal Research Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their legal research graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.