Lawyers pay in the U.S.
$185,840avg. a year
$89.35 an hour · 754,500 employed
Lawyers in the U.S. earn an average of $185,840 a year and a median of $159,670. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($242,800) and lowest in Mississippi ($108,930).
$159,670Median pay
$89.35Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2020
754,500Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for lawyers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
133,070 jobs
District of Columbia
$242,800
$116.73 an hour
295,770 jobs
California
$230,040
$110.59 an hour
391,870 jobs
New York
$220,180
$105.86 an hour
416,720 jobs
Colorado
$206,440
$99.25 an hour
523,560 jobs
Massachusetts
$205,980
$99.03 an hour
66,490 jobs
Nevada
$205,630
$98.86 an hour
72,920 jobs
Delaware
$199,970
$96.14 an hour
823,930 jobs
Georgia
$191,190
$91.92 an hour
98,420 jobs
Connecticut
$186,170
$89.50 an hour
1023,160 jobs
New Jersey
$184,090
$88.51 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Lawyers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $132k$132k–$160k$160k–$180k$180k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $288,980 | $138.94 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $248,950 | $119.69 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $241,500 | $116.10 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $237,060 | $113.97 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $231,710 | $111.40 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $226,780 | $109.03 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $224,840 | $108.10 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $215,680 | $103.69 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Lawyers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $146,630 | $131,970 | 6,730 |
| Alaska | $167,890 | $149,940 | 1,120 |
| Arizona | $157,190 | $134,260 | 11,640 |
| Arkansas | $131,680 | $98,880 | 3,430 |
| California | $230,040 | $195,080 | 95,770 |
| Colorado | $206,440 | $168,520 | 16,720 |
| Connecticut | $186,170 | $163,600 | 8,420 |
| Delaware | $199,970 | $173,510 | 2,920 |
| District of Columbia | $242,800 | $195,190 | 33,070 |
| Florida | $162,060 | $133,180 | 55,210 |
| Georgia | $191,190 | $134,830 | 23,930 |
| Hawaii | $127,280 | $124,990 | 2,270 |
| Idaho | $125,070 | $103,400 | 2,490 |
| Illinois | $181,240 | $160,800 | 33,590 |
| Indiana | $175,850 | $126,860 | 8,970 |
| Iowa | $144,760 | $123,550 | 3,550 |
| Kansas | $130,530 | $106,650 | 4,190 |
| Kentucky | $120,730 | $101,550 | 5,770 |
| Louisiana | $127,520 | $104,100 | 10,200 |
| Maine | $129,600 | $113,120 | 2,280 |
| Maryland | $157,370 | $139,110 | 13,810 |
| Massachusetts | $205,980 | $176,680 | 23,560 |
| Michigan | $148,820 | $130,520 | 16,620 |
| Minnesota | $174,300 | $155,140 | 12,380 |
| Mississippi | $108,930 | $91,690 | 3,100 |
| Missouri | $162,820 | $133,450 | 11,560 |
| Montana | $115,830 | $103,720 | 2,380 |
| Nebraska | $133,490 | $109,170 | 3,490 |
| Nevada | $205,630 | $150,510 | 6,490 |
| New Hampshire | $172,990 | $120,810 | 2,250 |
| New Jersey | $184,090 | $161,430 | 23,160 |
| New Mexico | $138,250 | $119,680 | 3,380 |
| New York | $220,180 | $207,860 | 91,870 |
| North Carolina | $160,340 | $127,710 | 17,000 |
| North Dakota | $128,680 | $106,880 | 1,050 |
| Ohio | $151,140 | $131,020 | 19,950 |
| Oklahoma | $122,750 | $103,060 | 6,980 |
| Oregon | $156,620 | $138,210 | 7,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $169,170 | $157,180 | 27,170 |
| Rhode Island | $159,690 | $138,960 | 1,840 |
| South Carolina | $144,700 | $120,310 | 7,890 |
| South Dakota | $132,270 | $102,040 | 1,360 |
| Tennessee | $163,870 | $136,180 | 9,010 |
| Texas | $180,370 | $154,200 | 56,580 |
| Utah | $169,480 | $132,830 | 7,020 |
| Vermont | $179,630 | $127,310 | 1,330 |
| Virginia | $179,240 | $167,210 | 18,580 |
| Washington | $169,940 | $154,130 | 12,770 |
| West Virginia | $123,210 | $102,420 | 2,440 |
| Wisconsin | $171,200 | $126,760 | 9,160 |
| Wyoming | $125,050 | $100,130 | 900 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$224,840
94,610 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$226,780
46,840 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$241,500
41,580 jobs$187,420
28,320 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$173,960
23,270 jobs$215,680
20,080 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$186,600
19,040 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$206,950
18,760 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do lawyers make?
The average is $185,840 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $159,670 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $89.35, and the median is $76.76 an hour.
Which state pays lawyers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $242,800 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $288,980.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $78,360 a year, and the top 10% earn over $351,600.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 23-1011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.