occupation · 23-0000 · major
Legal Occupations — wages and employment
Legal Occupations earned a median annual wage of $99,990 in the United States in May 2024, with 1,273,410 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Legal Occupations earned a median annual wage of $99,990 in the United States in May 2024, with 1,273,410 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $47,110 or less, the best-paid tenth at least $239,200 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $99,220 to $99,990, +0.8 %. The best-paying state is District of Columbia at $191,800; the lowest Mississippi at $60,990. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $199,990. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 1,273,410 | $99,990 | $137,680 | $47,110 | $62,410 | $170,520 | ≥ $239,200 | $48.07 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 1,240,630 | $99,220 | $133,820 | $47,030 | $62,190 | $169,280 | ≥ $239,200 | $47.70 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $191,800 | 41,650 |
| New York | $133,470 | 128,570 |
| California | $129,280 | 154,470 |
| Massachusetts | $128,530 | 33,190 |
| Colorado | $124,550 | 26,760 |
| Washington | $108,680 | 26,490 |
| Maryland | $106,940 | 26,990 |
| New Jersey | $106,250 | 38,160 |
| Virginia | $105,700 | 35,540 |
| Illinois | $103,540 | 51,250 |
| Connecticut | $103,460 | 13,460 |
| Minnesota | $101,560 | 20,750 |
| Alaska | $99,880 | 2,150 |
| Arizona | $98,930 | 23,060 |
| Delaware | $98,530 | 5,910 |
| Virgin Islands | $93,820 | 250 |
| Texas | $93,460 | 96,460 |
| Oregon | $91,350 | 14,740 |
| New Hampshire | $90,150 | 4,120 |
| Hawaii | $89,990 | 4,490 |
| Ohio | $89,180 | 33,530 |
| Michigan | $85,810 | 27,470 |
| Indiana | $84,440 | 17,000 |
| Pennsylvania | $83,900 | 46,030 |
| New Mexico | $83,100 | 6,060 |
| Wisconsin | $81,910 | 15,430 |
| Vermont | $81,660 | 2,110 |
| Nebraska | $81,580 | 5,840 |
| North Dakota | $81,430 | 2,120 |
| Florida | $80,720 | 110,620 |
| Guam | $80,600 | 310 |
| Utah | $80,510 | 11,290 |
| Missouri | $80,470 | 21,010 |
| Tennessee | $80,430 | 18,180 |
| Rhode Island | $79,890 | 4,290 |
| Georgia | $79,390 | 42,400 |
| Kansas | $79,150 | 7,980 |
| Oklahoma | $78,650 | 12,020 |
| Kentucky | $78,470 | 10,830 |
| South Dakota | $77,940 | 2,070 |
| North Carolina | $77,900 | 31,230 |
| Maine | $77,410 | 3,810 |
| West Virginia | $76,990 | 5,390 |
| Louisiana | $75,630 | 16,070 |
| Montana | $74,330 | 4,220 |
| Idaho | $67,990 | 5,420 |
| Alabama | $66,560 | 12,640 |
| Wyoming | $65,310 | 1,820 |
| Iowa | $64,840 | 7,880 |
| Arkansas | $63,990 | 6,580 |
| South Carolina | $62,520 | 16,980 |
| Mississippi | $60,990 | 6,110 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $199,990 | 9,480 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $173,990 | 68,260 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $156,870 | 27,490 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $140,050 | 129,370 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $134,750 | 10,820 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $131,670 | 27,950 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $131,280 | 18,770 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $128,680 | 67,650 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $122,410 | 3,310 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $119,840 | 14,040 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $116,660 | 42,520 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $110,930 | 18,280 |
| Yuba City, CA | $110,560 | 150 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $108,350 | 3,250 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $107,050 | 980 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $106,660 | 17,040 |
| Napa, CA | $106,630 | 230 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $105,850 | 1,800 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | $105,800 | 150 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $105,470 | 930 |
Occupations in this group
8 detailed occupations, largest first.
- Lawyers 23-1011 · median $151,160 · 747,750 jobs
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants 23-2011 · median $61,010 · 367,220 jobs
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers 23-2093 · median $54,980 · 48,170 jobs
- Legal Support Workers, All Other 23-2099 · median $68,760 · 47,380 jobs
- Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates 23-1023 · median $156,210 · 25,580 jobs
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers 23-1021 · median $115,230 · 16,230 jobs
- Judicial Law Clerks 23-1012 · median $60,400 · 13,220 jobs
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators 23-1022 · median $67,710 · 7,860 jobs
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