Average Lawyer Salaries
The average salary of a lawyer can be an important consideration when you are deciding what industry you want to work in or whether you want to pursue a law degree. There are many factors to weigh when considering becoming a lawyer, and knowing about how much money you might earn can help with financial planning and give you a better estimate of when you can expect to pay off your law school loans.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), lawyers in the United States earned a median of $159,670 per year in 2025.
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Top Earning U.S States for Lawyers
Here are the top states ranked by annual income for lawyers:
| state/district | annual mean salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $238,990 |
| California | $213,860 |
| Delaware | $212,360 |
| New York | $208,480 |
| Connecticut | $195,730 |
Top Earning Metro Areas for Lawyers
The numbers above represent statewide averages. Annual salaries for lawyers in metropolitan areas tend to be higher. Here are the top 10 metro areas in which lawyers are paid the highest annual salary, according to the BLS.
| rank | metropolitan area | annual mean salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $268,570 |
| 2 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $252,210 |
| 3 | Boulder, CO | $251,490 |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $235,940 |
| 5 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $223,890 |
| 6 | Midland, MI | $220,780 |
| 7 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $219,740 |
| 8 | Fort Collins, CO | $216,770 |
| 9 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $213,420 |
| 10 | Corpus Christi, TX | $212,830 |
The top-paying non-metropolitan areas, according to the BLS, are as follows:
| rank | non-metropolitan area | annaual mean salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California | $170,060 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $169,800 |
| 3 | West Texas Region of Texas | $158,740 |
| 4 | Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California | $154,080 |
| 5 | Big Thicket Region of Texas | $145,990 |
Lawyer Wage Gap Between Men and Women
Parallelling a national trend across all fields, male lawyers tend to earn more than female lawyers. The BLS reported that in 2025, female lawyers had median weekly earnings of $2,321, which was about 80.3% of male lawyers’ median weekly earnings of $2,890.
How to Choose an Industry as a Lawyer
The annual mean wages for the top-paying industries for law, according to the BLS, are as follows:
| rank | industry | annual mean salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water, Sewage and Other Systems | $315,000 |
| 2 | Other Ambulatory Health Care Services | $303,190 |
| 3 | Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers | $301,780 |
| 4 | Motion Picture and Video Industries | $280,910 |
| 5 | Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events | $279,510 |
The annual mean earnings for the industries with the highest level of employment for lawyers are listed below:
| industry | annual mean salary |
|---|---|
| Legal Services | $182,020 |
| Federal, State, and Local Government (excluding Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service) | $159,280 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals | $132,290 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals | $106,420 |
Lawyers who own their own practices usually make less than lawyers who work in law firms or other companies.
Government vs. Private Industry Earnings for Lawyers
Whether you work in a government role or the private sector can affect your potential earnings significantly. According to the BLS, the annual mean salaries for lawyers broken down by sector are as follows:
| sector | annual mean salary |
|---|---|
| Private Sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises | $237,370 |
| Private Sector: Legal Services (Law Firms) | $182,020 |
| Public Sector: Federal Government (excluding Postal Service) | $159,280 |
| Public Sector: Local Government (excluding Schools and Hospitals) | $132,290 |
| Public Sector: State Government (excluding Schools and Hospitals) | $106,420 |
When compared to the overall median salary for lawyers, it’s clear that private-sector lawyers, especially those in corporate roles, earn significantly more than those working in local or state government.
Lawyer Job Outlook and Future Demand
Beyond salary, job security and growth are critical factors when considering a career in law. The BLS provides a promising outlook for lawyers over the next decade:
- Employment of lawyers is projected to grow by 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, which is faster than the average for all occupations
- There are projected to be about 28,700 openings for lawyers each year, on average, over the decade; many of these openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire
- The industry is expected to add 40,600 new jobs between 2025 and 2035.
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Lawyer Job Growth: Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Lawyers, www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/lawyers.htm. National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth.
