Best states for an Attorney

Q: What is the best state for attorneys?

The best state to be an attorney is New York based on attorney salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for attorneys?

The highest paying state for attorneys is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for attorneys?

The worst state for attorneys is Indiana, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for attorneys? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for attorney jobs.As attorneys are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for attorneys. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an attorney, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

The median salary for attorneys in New York is $130,648. Compare that to the median salary in Indiana of $64,013, which ranked worst for attorneys, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the Midwest is best for attorneys, and the Northeast is the worst. White Plains, NY is the best city in the country for attorney jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.

10 best states for attorneys in 2025

1. New York
Total Attorney Jobs: 447
Average Annual Salary: $130,648
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $85,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $199,000
Location Quotient:
2.1
Attorney Jobs in New York
2. District of Columbia
Total Attorney Jobs: 229
Average Annual Salary: $127,172
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $82,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $195,000
Location Quotient:
8.23
Attorney Jobs in District of Columbia
3. California
Total Attorney Jobs: 694
Average Annual Salary: $125,659
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $80,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $197,000
Location Quotient:
1.43
Attorney Jobs in California
4. Massachusetts
Total Attorney Jobs: 189
Average Annual Salary: $115,902
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $75,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $178,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
Attorney Jobs in Massachusetts
5. Delaware
Total Attorney Jobs: 19
Average Annual Salary: $100,929
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $64,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $157,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Attorney Jobs in Delaware
6. Virginia
Total Attorney Jobs: 138
Average Annual Salary: $105,281
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $66,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $165,000
Location Quotient:
0.88
Attorney Jobs in Virginia
7. New Jersey
Total Attorney Jobs: 123
Average Annual Salary: $101,074
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $64,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $157,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Attorney Jobs in New Jersey
8. Connecticut
Total Attorney Jobs: 33
Average Annual Salary: $107,945
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $69,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $167,000
Location Quotient:
0.6
Attorney Jobs in Connecticut
9. Arizona
Total Attorney Jobs: 101
Average Annual Salary: $93,188
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $57,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $151,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Attorney Jobs in Arizona
10. Texas
Total Attorney Jobs: 419
Average Annual Salary: $89,493
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $53,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $149,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Attorney Jobs in Texas

Attorney JobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an attorney

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an attorney

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	New York	$130,648	$85,000	19,849,399	447
2	District of Columbia	$127,172	$82,000	693,972	229
3	California	$125,659	$80,000	39,536,653	694
4	Massachusetts	$115,902	$75,000	6,859,819	189
5	Delaware	$100,929	$64,000	961,939	19
6	Virginia	$105,281	$66,000	8,470,020	138
7	New Jersey	$101,074	$64,000	9,005,644	123
8	Connecticut	$107,945	$69,000	3,588,184	33
9	Arizona	$93,188	$57,000	7,016,270	101
10	Texas	$89,493	$53,000	28,304,596	419
11	New Mexico	$101,051	$62,000	2,088,070	18
12	New Hampshire	$95,225	$61,000	1,342,795	20
13	North Dakota	$97,400	$64,000	755,393	9
14	Colorado	$92,676	$59,000	5,607,154	94
15	Mississippi	$100,358	$60,000	2,984,100	6
16	Illinois	$91,646	$59,000	12,802,023	176
17	Maine	$91,820	$59,000	1,335,907	15
18	Vermont	$95,743	$61,000	623,657	7
19	Washington	$90,337	$57,000	7,405,743	101
20	Rhode Island	$94,525	$60,000	1,059,639	5
21	Georgia	$83,232	$50,000	10,429,379	154
22	Nevada	$87,667	$54,000	2,998,039	21
23	Oregon	$86,676	$54,000	4,142,776	52
24	Pennsylvania	$82,538	$53,000	12,805,537	142
25	Minnesota	$79,839	$52,000	5,576,606	118
26	Maryland	$91,546	$58,000	6,052,177	70
27	Florida	$79,287	$47,000	20,984,400	360
28	Kentucky	$85,827	$54,000	4,454,189	24
29	Louisiana	$80,971	$48,000	4,684,333	36
30	Montana	$73,818	$48,000	1,050,493	28
31	North Carolina	$77,681	$48,000	10,273,419	119
32	Michigan	$77,633	$50,000	9,962,311	94
33	West Virginia	$81,422	$51,000	1,815,857	4
34	Ohio	$72,939	$46,000	11,658,609	140
35	Nebraska	$73,161	$47,000	1,920,076	33
36	Tennessee	$76,057	$47,000	6,715,984	48
37	Utah	$77,132	$48,000	3,101,833	25
38	South Dakota	$74,217	$48,000	869,666	4
39	Missouri	$68,519	$43,000	6,113,532	81
40	Wyoming	$59,905	$38,000	579,315	25
41	Alaska	$73,407	$48,000	739,795	8
42	Wisconsin	$70,932	$46,000	5,795,483	55
43	Alabama	$72,110	$43,000	4,874,747	15
44	Iowa	$71,048	$46,000	3,145,711	26
45	Arkansas	$59,520	$36,000	3,004,279	35
46	Hawaii	$71,690	$51,000	1,427,538	6
47	Oklahoma	$69,240	$42,000	3,930,864	23
48	Idaho	$65,019	$41,000	1,716,943	18
49	Kansas	$66,610	$42,000	2,913,123	24
50	South Carolina	$62,861	$38,000	5,024,369	46
51	Indiana	$64,013	$41,000	6,666,818	59

Highest paying states for attorneys

Rank	State	Avg. Attorney Salary
1	New York	$130,648
2	District of Columbia	$127,172
3	California	$125,659
4	Massachusetts	$115,902
5	Delaware	$100,929
6	Virginia	$105,281
7	New Jersey	$101,074
8	Connecticut	$107,945
9	Arizona	$93,188
10	Texas	$89,493
11	New Mexico	$101,051
12	New Hampshire	$95,225
13	North Dakota	$97,400
14	Colorado	$92,676
15	Mississippi	$100,358
16	Illinois	$91,646
17	Maine	$91,820
18	Vermont	$95,743
19	Washington	$90,337
20	Rhode Island	$94,525
21	Georgia	$83,232
22	Nevada	$87,667
23	Oregon	$86,676
24	Pennsylvania	$82,538
25	Minnesota	$79,839
26	Maryland	$91,546
27	Florida	$79,287
28	Kentucky	$85,827
29	Louisiana	$80,971
30	Montana	$73,818
31	North Carolina	$77,681
32	Michigan	$77,633
33	West Virginia	$81,422
34	Ohio	$72,939
35	Nebraska	$73,161
36	Tennessee	$76,057
37	Utah	$77,132
38	South Dakota	$74,217
39	Missouri	$68,519
40	Wyoming	$59,905
41	Alaska	$73,407
42	Wisconsin	$70,932
43	Alabama	$72,110
44	Iowa	$71,048
45	Arkansas	$59,520
46	Hawaii	$71,690
47	Oklahoma	$69,240
48	Idaho	$65,019
49	Kansas	$66,610
50	South Carolina	$62,861
51	Indiana	$64,013

Attorney best states FAQs

What is the best state for attorneys?

What is the highest paying state for attorneys?

What is the worst state for attorneys?

Have more questions? See all answers to common legal questions.

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Best states for Attorneys

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total Attorney Jobs:	447
Average Annual Salary:	$130,648
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$85,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$199,000
Location Quotient:	2.1

Best states for an Attorney

10 best states for attorneys in 2025

1. New York

2. District of Columbia

3. California

4. Massachusetts

5. Delaware

6. Virginia

7. New Jersey

8. Connecticut

9. Arizona

10. Texas