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Lawyer salary
Average lawyer salary
$115,808
How much does a lawyer make?
The average lawyer salary in the United States is $115,808. Lawyer salaries typically range between $64,000 and $208,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for lawyers is $55.68 per hour.
Lawyer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Lawyers earn the highest average salary in New York.
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Where can a Lawyer earn more?
Lawyer Salaries By Experience Level
Experience Level  | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level lawyer | $67,200 | $32.31 |
| Mid-level lawyer | $81,100 | $38.99 |
| Senior-level lawyer | $170,000 | $81.79 |
Lawyer salary estimates from across the web
Average lawyer salary by state
Highest paying states for lawyers
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $148,841 | $71.56 |
| 2 | New York | $132,472 | $63.69 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $127,181 | $61.14 |
| 4 | California | $123,707 | $59.47 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $106,636 | $51.27 |
| 6 | Virginia | $109,429 | $52.61 |
| 7 | Maine | $100,051 | $48.10 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $115,525 | $55.54 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $102,571 | $49.31 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $98,516 | $47.36 |
| 11 | Washington | $101,850 | $48.97 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $102,003 | $49.04 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $102,018 | $49.05 |
| 14 | Vermont | $104,348 | $50.17 |
| 15 | Ohio | $94,103 | $45.24 |
| 16 | Michigan | $91,596 | $44.04 |
| 17 | Texas | $88,459 | $42.53 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $96,778 | $46.53 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $95,767 | $46.04 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $92,287 | $44.37 |
| 21 | Illinois | $91,755 | $44.11 |
| 22 | Colorado | $92,934 | $44.68 |
| 23 | Nevada | $95,954 | $46.13 |
| 24 | Oregon | $84,922 | $40.83 |
| 25 | Arizona | $86,079 | $41.38 |
| 26 | Florida | $79,193 | $38.07 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $86,023 | $41.36 |
| 28 | Georgia | $79,199 | $38.08 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $84,622 | $40.68 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $79,692 | $38.31 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $77,620 | $37.32 |
| 32 | Iowa | $87,007 | $41.83 |
| 33 | Delaware | $88,632 | $42.61 |
| 34 | Maryland | $85,476 | $41.09 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $84,340 | $40.55 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $72,976 | $35.08 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $74,441 | $35.79 |
| 38 | Missouri | $69,942 | $33.63 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $57,490 | $27.64 |
| 40 | Alaska | $73,684 | $35.42 |
| 41 | Utah | $76,790 | $36.92 |
| 42 | Alabama | $74,025 | $35.59 |
| 43 | Montana | $52,821 | $25.39 |
| 44 | Idaho | $71,553 | $34.40 |
| 45 | Indiana | $69,854 | $33.58 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $70,865 | $34.07 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $72,661 | $34.93 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $68,011 | $32.70 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $56,937 | $27.37 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $62,055 | $29.83 |
| 51 | Kansas | $64,385 | $30.95 |
Highest paying cities for lawyers
The highest-paying cities for lawyers are Washington, DC, White Plains, NY, and San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $155,728 | $74.87 |
| 2 | White Plains, NY | $135,844 | $65.31 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $130,368 | $62.68 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $129,251 | $62.14 |
| 5 | Alexandria, VA | $112,133 | $53.91 |
| 6 | Fort Lee, NJ | $107,439 | $51.65 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $102,928 | $49.48 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $96,535 | $46.41 |
| 9 | Las Vegas, NV | $96,324 | $46.31 |
| 10 | El Paso, TX | $93,216 | $44.82 |
| 11 | Glenview, IL | $92,427 | $44.44 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $92,258 | $44.35 |
| 13 | Detroit, MI | $92,050 | $44.25 |
| 14 | Rockville, MD | $85,087 | $40.91 |
| 15 | Tampa, FL | $80,813 | $38.85 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $79,049 | $38.00 |
| 17 | Salt Lake City, UT | $76,070 | $36.57 |
| 18 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $62,242 | $29.92 |
Lawyers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Lawyer salary details
A lawyer's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $208,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lawyer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $208,000 | $17,333 | $100 |
| 75th Percentile | $157,000 | $13,083 | $75 |
| Average | $115,808 | $9,651 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
Highest paying lawyer jobs
The highest paying types of lawyers are legal counsel, general counsel, and litigation associate.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document Review Attorney | $81,181 | $6,765 | $39.03 | 9,393 |
| Attorney | $109,476 | $9,123 | $52.63 | 10,991 |
| Contract Attorney | $97,474 | $8,123 | $46.86 | 13,592 |
| Housing Counselor | $78,730 | $6,561 | $37.85 | 33,639 |
| Legal Consultant | $75,024 | $6,252 | $36.07 | 16,118 |
| General Counsel | $125,248 | $10,437 | $60.22 | 50,275 |
Which companies pay lawyers the most?
Lawyer salaries at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lawyer salary at companies like Vinson & Elkins and Nossaman are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough | $263,259 | $126.57 |
| 2 | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | $256,474 | $123.30 |
| 3 | Vinson & Elkins | $248,763 | $119.60 |
| 4 | Nossaman | $247,632 | $119.05 |
| 5 | Hughes Hubbard & Reed | $239,770 | $115.27 |
| 6 | Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner | $237,399 | $114.13 |
| 7 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | $236,938 | $113.91 |
| 8 | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman | $236,064 | $113.49 |
| 9 | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett | $235,809 | $113.37 |
| 10 | Irell & Manella | $234,308 | $112.65 |
| 11 | O'Melveny | $231,832 | $111.46 |
| 12 | Sidley Austin | $228,587 | $109.90 |
| 13 | Orrick | $226,904 | $109.09 |
| 14 | Fried Frank | $226,449 | $108.87 |
| 15 | Alston & Bird | $225,241 | $108.29 |
| 16 | Norton Rose Fulbright | $223,289 | $107.35 |
| 17 | Latham & Watkins | $222,612 | $107.03 |
| 18 | Baker McKenzie | $221,917 | $106.69 |
| 19 | Perkins Coie | $221,753 | $106.61 |
| 20 | Miller Mayer | $221,639 | $106.56 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lawyer salary trends
The average lawyer salary has risen by $12,426 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lawyer earned $103,382 annually, but today, they earn $115,808 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for lawyers over the last decade.
Compare lawyer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lawyer salary over time
Compare lawyer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Lawyer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $116,000 | $55.68 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $112,000 | $53.94 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $110,000 | $53.04 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $109,000 | $52.31 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $108,000 | $51.83 | +2.0% |
Recently added lawyer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On Call Counsel | Remote Settlement Lawyer | Noble, LA | 12/17/2024 | $87,132 |
| Privateinvestigators Farnborough | Commercial Litigation Lawyer | Hampshire, IL | 12/16/2024 | $70,012 |
| Brown & Brown | Lawyers Professional Liability Underwriter | Quincy, MA | 12/15/2024 | $70,000 |
| Leicester Bus Partnership | Qualified Lawyer Childcare Hybrid Working-Home and Leicester City Offices | Davis, CA | 12/15/2024 | $52,894 |
| On Call Counsel | Remote Settlement Lawyer | Billings, MT | 12/12/2024 | $87,132 |
| Consilio LLC | Medical Malpractice Lawyer | Maryland | 12/12/2024 | $156,525 |
| Vantage Group | Remote Probate Lawyer | Detroit, MI | 12/11/2024 | $60,000 |
| Private Investigator Wisbech | Dispute Resolution Lawyer | Norfolk, VA | 12/11/2024 | $50,918 |
| Private Detective Barnsley | Construction Lawyer | Yorkshire, VA | 12/11/2024 | $56,585 |
| Privateinvestigators Guildford | Commercial Litigation Lawyer | Hampshire, IL | 12/11/2024 | $70,012 |
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