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Law Clerk salary
Average law clerk salary
$55,916
How much does a law clerk make?
The average law clerk salary in the United States is $55,916. Law clerk salaries typically range between $27,000 and $114,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for law clerks is $26.88 per hour.
Law clerk salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Law clerks earn the highest average salary in New York.
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Where can a Law Clerk earn more?
Law Clerk salary estimates from across the web
Average law clerk salary by state
Highest paying states for law clerks
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $105,556 | $50.75 |
| 2 | New York | $83,585 | $40.19 |
| 3 | California | $70,394 | $33.84 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $79,314 | $38.13 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $68,180 | $32.78 |
| 6 | Washington | $66,170 | $31.81 |
| 7 | Vermont | $73,026 | $35.11 |
| 8 | Delaware | $70,047 | $33.68 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $71,508 | $34.38 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $66,622 | $32.03 |
| 11 | Illinois | $63,363 | $30.46 |
| 12 | Maine | $70,225 | $33.76 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $57,666 | $27.72 |
| 14 | Nevada | $65,015 | $31.26 |
| 15 | Colorado | $56,347 | $27.09 |
| 16 | Kansas | $49,031 | $23.57 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $65,583 | $31.53 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $51,591 | $24.80 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $53,250 | $25.60 |
| 20 | Idaho | $54,852 | $26.37 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $52,745 | $25.36 |
| 22 | Michigan | $49,758 | $23.92 |
| 23 | Ohio | $50,947 | $24.49 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $44,439 | $21.36 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $51,741 | $24.88 |
| 26 | Montana | $57,706 | $27.74 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $46,945 | $22.57 |
| 28 | Virginia | $53,479 | $25.71 |
| 29 | Oregon | $45,633 | $21.94 |
| 30 | Missouri | $45,050 | $21.66 |
| 31 | New Jersey | $53,391 | $25.67 |
| 32 | Florida | $43,571 | $20.95 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $53,386 | $25.67 |
| 34 | Maryland | $53,022 | $25.49 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $47,789 | $22.98 |
| 36 | Alaska | $38,917 | $18.71 |
| 37 | Arizona | $50,316 | $24.19 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $42,136 | $20.26 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $42,903 | $20.63 |
| 40 | Texas | $40,281 | $19.37 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $38,240 | $18.38 |
| 42 | Iowa | $44,407 | $21.35 |
| 43 | Utah | $39,196 | $18.84 |
| 44 | Indiana | $37,393 | $17.98 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $37,355 | $17.96 |
| 46 | Georgia | $38,085 | $18.31 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $39,786 | $19.13 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $38,512 | $18.52 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $37,189 | $17.88 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $32,804 | $15.77 |
| 51 | Alabama | $36,384 | $17.49 |
Highest paying cities for law clerks
The highest-paying cities for law clerks are Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $107,457 | $51.66 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $84,006 | $40.39 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $79,294 | $38.12 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $74,053 | $35.60 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $66,278 | $31.86 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $64,883 | $31.19 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $63,694 | $30.62 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $56,314 | $27.07 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $54,853 | $26.37 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $53,665 | $25.80 |
| 11 | Fort Lee, NJ | $53,378 | $25.66 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $52,806 | $25.39 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $52,793 | $25.38 |
| 14 | Rockville, MD | $52,647 | $25.31 |
| 15 | Saint Louis, MO | $46,055 | $22.14 |
| 16 | Portland, OR | $45,434 | $21.84 |
| 17 | Miami, FL | $44,005 | $21.16 |
| 18 | Des Moines, IA | $43,819 | $21.07 |
| 19 | Austin, TX | $40,952 | $19.69 |
| 20 | New Orleans, LA | $39,708 | $19.09 |
Law Clerks are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Law Clerk salary details
A law clerk's salary ranges from $27,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $114,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a law clerk's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $114,000 | $9,500 | $55 |
| 75th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
| Average | $55,916 | $4,660 | $27 |
| 25th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
| 10th Percentile | $27,000 | $2,250 | $13 |
Highest paying law clerk jobs
The highest paying types of law clerks are litigation associate, staff attorney, and attorney.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney | $109,476 | $9,123 | $52.63 | 10,991 |
| Contractor-Paralegal | $60,686 | $5,057 | $29.18 | 15,609 |
| Attorney At Law | $108,018 | $9,002 | $51.93 | 7,025 |
| Staff Attorney | $110,028 | $9,169 | $52.90 | 75,402 |
| Real Estate Paralegal | $68,387 | $5,699 | $32.88 | 24,369 |
| Corporate Paralegal | $67,515 | $5,626 | $32.46 | 13,482 |
Top companies hiring law clerks now:
Which companies pay law clerks the most?
Law clerk salaries at Hughes Hubbard & Reed and Nixon Peabody are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average law clerk salary at companies like O'Melveny and Kirkland & Ellis are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hughes Hubbard & Reed | $210,750 | $101.32 |
| 2 | Nixon Peabody | $210,422 | $101.16 |
| 3 | O'Melveny | $203,527 | $97.85 |
| 4 | Kirkland & Ellis | $203,275 | $97.73 |
| 5 | Cahill Gordon & Reindel | $202,860 | $97.53 |
| 6 | Norton Rose Fulbright | $201,612 | $96.93 |
| 7 | Orrick | $200,669 | $96.48 |
| 8 | Baker McKenzie | $199,695 | $96.01 |
| 9 | Dechert | $198,231 | $95.30 |
| 10 | Skadden | $197,866 | $95.13 |
| 11 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | $197,090 | $94.75 |
| 12 | Willkie Farr & Gallagher | $196,635 | $94.54 |
| 13 | McGuireWoods | $196,627 | $94.53 |
| 14 | Jones Day | $195,899 | $94.18 |
| 15 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | $194,041 | $93.29 |
| 16 | Squire Patton Boggs | $193,967 | $93.25 |
| 17 | Pepper Hamilton | $193,819 | $93.18 |
| 18 | Mayer Brown | $193,433 | $93.00 |
| 19 | Locke Lord | $193,110 | $92.84 |
| 20 | Cooley | $192,532 | $92.56 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Law Clerk salary trends
The average law clerk salary has risen by $14,642 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average law clerk earned $41,274 annually, but today, they earn $55,916 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for law clerks over the last decade.
Compare law clerk salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average law clerk salary over time
Compare law clerk salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Law Clerk salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $55,900 | $26.88 | +6.1% |
| 2024 | $52,500 | $25.25 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | $52,100 | $25.03 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | $49,900 | $23.99 | -0.8% |
| 2021 | $50,300 | $24.19 | +2.0% |
Recently added law clerk salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Government Services | Law Clerk I | Wichita, KS | 12/18/2024 | $65,000 |
| Contact Government Services | Law Clerk I | Washington, DC | 12/18/2024 | $65,000 |
| Contact Government Services | Law Clerk I | Allentown, PA | 12/18/2024 | $65,000 |
| Contact Government Services | Law Clerk I** | Anniston, AL | 12/18/2024 | $65,000 |
| Contact Government Services | Law Clerk I | Albuquerque, NM | 12/18/2024 | $65,000 |
| Metro | OMA Summer Law Clerk | Portland, OR | 12/16/2024 | $50,088 |
| Traffic Control Supervisions Association | Post-Bar Law Clerk | Stockton, CA | 12/16/2024 | $44,641 |
| Allegan County | Law Clerk | Allegan, MI | 12/16/2024 | $60,001 |
| Monroe County Bar Association | Term Law Clerk | Rochester, NY | 12/16/2024 | $87,357 |
| Sanabria & Associates | Immigration Law Clerk | Silver Spring, MD | 12/16/2024 | $39,653 |
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