Average Lawyers Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Lawyers is $159,670 per year. The middle 50% earn between $102,990 and $221,370, with 754,500 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 51 states and 392 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Lawyers pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $78,360
- 25th
- $102,990
- Median
- $159,670
- 75th
- $221,370
- 90th
- $351,600
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Lawyers are among the highest-paid occupations tracked by BLS, well into the top decile of US wages.
The pay band is unusually wide for this occupation. Experience, employer, and specialization can double or even triple an early-career salary, so what lawyers earn depends heavily on where they are in their career and who they work for.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for lawyers from 2024 to 2034. Growth is roughly in line with the US average of about 4% across all occupations.
- Projected growth
- +4.1%
- 35,900 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 31,500
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave.
- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Entry into this field typically requires a doctoral or professional degree, which helps explain the high wage level and relatively narrow candidate pool.
Where Lawyers earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where lawyers work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is New York at $207,860, about 30.2% above the national median. At the metro level, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA leads with a median of $301,320.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $207,860 | 91,870 |
| District of Columbia | $195,190 | 33,070 |
| California | $195,080 | 95,770 |
| Massachusetts | $176,680 | 23,560 |
| Delaware | $173,510 | 2,920 |
| Colorado | $168,520 | 16,720 |
| Virginia | $167,210 | 18,580 |
| Connecticut | $163,600 | 8,420 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $301,320 | 6,040 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $212,500 | 18,470 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $208,880 | 94,610 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $195,190 | 46,840 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $194,410 | 41,580 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $185,520 | 1,220 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $183,350 | 20,080 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $181,560 | 590 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see lawyers pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Lawyers rose from $122,960 to $159,670, a gain of +29.9% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $122,960 would need to be worth $154,841 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $159,670 is $4,829 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +3.1% in purchasing power.
Real wages have outpaced inflation by 3.1%, a modest but real gain in purchasing power.
- Nominal change
- +29.9%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- +3.1%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Lawyers median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $159,670
- 2024
- $151,160
- 2023
- $145,760
- 2022
- $135,740
- 2021
- $127,990
- 2020
- $126,930
- 2019
- $122,960
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Judicial Law Clerks
- $64,920
- Legal Support Workers, All Other
- $72,110
- Paralegals And Legal Assistants
- $62,890
Common salary questions for Lawyers
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Lawyers workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.