Judicial Law Clerks
Median $64,920
Occupation · SOC 23-1011
Lawyers: pay and where the jobs are
What lawyers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$159,670 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $185,840
- Median hourly wage
- $76.76
- Mean hourly wage
- $89.35
- Employment
- 754,500
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 23-1011.
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See where your pay falls among lawyers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do lawyers make?
The median annual wage for lawyers was $159,670 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $78,360 and the highest-paid 10% more than $351,600. As an hourly rate, the median is $76.76. About 754,500 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New York ($207,860), District of Columbia ($195,190) and California ($195,080). New York also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for lawyers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $78,360 | $37.67 | $6,530 | $5,330 |
| 25th percentile | $102,990 | $49.51 | $8,583 | $6,774 |
| Median | $159,670 | $76.76 | $13,306 | $10,033 |
| 75th percentile | $221,370 | $106.43 | $18,448 | $13,524 |
| 90th percentile | $351,600 | $169.04 | $29,300 | $19,876 |
Lawyers: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$131,274 take-home in national prices
2
$120,199 take-home in national prices
3
$119,284 take-home in national prices
Where a median lawyer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 91,870 | $207,860 | $85,200 | $391,420 | $141,672 | $131,274 |
| District of Columbia | 33,070 | $195,190 | $120,580 | $392,750 | $131,056 | $119,249 |
| California | 95,770 | $195,080 | $97,950 | $369,180 | $128,170 | $115,760 |
| Massachusetts | 23,560 | $176,680 | $82,100 | $374,410 | $122,600 | $115,926 |
| Delaware | 2,920 | $173,510 | $101,200 | $354,910 | $119,055 | $119,284 |
| Colorado | 16,720 | $168,520 | $83,350 | $336,970 | $119,001 | $115,477 |
| Virginia | 18,580 | $167,210 | $79,330 | $320,220 | $116,754 | $115,479 |
| Connecticut | 8,420 | $163,600 | $91,180 | $342,970 | $113,703 | $109,741 |
| New Jersey | 23,160 | $161,430 | $93,810 | $328,270 | $112,642 | $103,526 |
| Illinois | 33,590 | $160,800 | $82,160 | $330,200 | $113,358 | $113,406 |
| Pennsylvania | 27,170 | $157,180 | $77,100 | $323,370 | $113,763 | $116,594 |
| Minnesota | 12,380 | $155,140 | $79,820 | $341,170 | $107,276 | $108,776 |
| Texas | 56,580 | $154,200 | $79,340 | $349,490 | $116,662 | $120,199 |
| Washington | 12,770 | $154,130 | $94,260 | $298,210 | $114,476 | $106,974 |
| Nevada | 6,490 | $150,510 | $96,010 | $414,290 | $114,140 | $114,164 |
| Alaska | 1,120 | $149,940 | $86,230 | $281,780 | $113,479 | $110,864 |
| Maryland | 13,810 | $139,110 | $81,730 | $269,020 | $99,880 | $95,161 |
| Rhode Island | 1,840 | $138,960 | $80,710 | $268,270 | $100,146 | $97,914 |
| Oregon | 7,150 | $138,210 | $73,610 | $263,790 | $93,559 | $90,517 |
| Tennessee | 9,010 | $136,180 | $76,510 | $324,880 | $104,345 | $113,579 |
| Georgia | 23,930 | $134,830 | $58,750 | $317,820 | $97,443 | $101,194 |
| Arizona | 11,640 | $134,260 | $85,990 | $268,170 | $100,070 | $99,397 |
| Missouri | 11,560 | $133,450 | $67,020 | $299,990 | $97,144 | $106,967 |
| Florida | 55,210 | $133,180 | $75,530 | $301,050 | $102,295 | $98,917 |
| Utah | 7,020 | $132,830 | $59,990 | $347,090 | $96,144 | $97,249 |
| Alabama | 6,730 | $131,970 | $62,310 | $249,090 | $96,129 | $108,226 |
| Ohio | 19,950 | $131,020 | $69,790 | $269,530 | $97,652 | $105,258 |
| Michigan | 16,620 | $130,520 | $77,180 | $238,370 | $95,180 | $98,922 |
| North Carolina | 17,000 | $127,710 | $61,610 | $323,720 | $93,969 | $99,621 |
| Vermont | 1,330 | $127,310 | $85,510 | $336,450 | $92,384 | $94,310 |
| Indiana | 8,970 | $126,860 | $65,750 | $327,960 | $94,262 | $101,000 |
| Wisconsin | 9,160 | $126,760 | $76,010 | $362,040 | $91,890 | $97,657 |
| Hawaii | 2,270 | $124,990 | $73,890 | $179,010 | $88,611 | $80,592 |
| Iowa | 3,550 | $123,550 | $63,790 | $268,460 | $91,669 | $104,452 |
| Guam | 180 | $122,930 | $63,020 | $186,840 | — | — |
| New Hampshire | 2,250 | $120,810 | $65,670 | $358,300 | $93,820 | $90,068 |
| South Carolina | 7,890 | $120,310 | $63,140 | $301,140 | $88,166 | $94,045 |
| New Mexico | 3,380 | $119,680 | $76,100 | $232,890 | $88,491 | $95,965 |
| Virgin Islands | 150 | $118,440 | $99,750 | $165,490 | — | — |
| Maine | 2,280 | $113,120 | $76,820 | $215,610 | $81,615 | $84,096 |
| Nebraska | 3,490 | $109,170 | $65,030 | $217,700 | $81,543 | $90,500 |
| North Dakota | 1,050 | $106,880 | $70,500 | $194,840 | $83,195 | $93,521 |
| Kansas | 4,190 | $106,650 | $76,300 | $213,360 | $78,707 | $87,386 |
| Louisiana | 10,200 | $104,100 | $50,140 | $227,230 | $79,328 | $89,933 |
| Montana | 2,380 | $103,720 | $62,090 | $179,620 | $77,298 | $81,671 |
| Idaho | 2,490 | $103,400 | $50,730 | $216,660 | $77,200 | $80,843 |
| Oklahoma | 6,980 | $103,060 | $57,950 | $207,340 | $77,241 | $87,930 |
| West Virginia | 2,440 | $102,420 | $64,950 | $206,370 | $77,081 | $86,127 |
| South Dakota | 1,360 | $102,040 | $76,920 | $234,690 | $80,615 | $91,002 |
| Kentucky | 5,770 | $101,550 | $63,010 | $187,180 | $76,834 | $85,220 |
| Wyoming | 900 | $100,130 | $61,170 | $233,950 | $79,271 | $85,522 |
| Arkansas | 3,430 | $98,880 | $49,900 | $220,660 | $75,221 | $86,524 |
| Mississippi | 3,100 | $91,690 | $47,670 | $176,750 | $70,398 | $80,961 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 23-1011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.