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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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OEWS OEWS Program Links

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

23-1011 Lawyers

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

National estimates for Lawyers
Industry profile for Lawyers
Geographic profile for Lawyers

National estimates for Lawyers: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Lawyers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
658,120 0.7 % $ 71.59 $ 148,910 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Lawyers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 29.56 $ 40.60 $ 61.03 $ 91.11 (5)
Annual Wage (2) $ 61,490 $ 84,450 $ 126,930 $ 189,520 (5)

Industry profile for Lawyers: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Lawyers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Lawyers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Lawyers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Legal Services 401,340 35.28 $ 73.86 $ 153,630
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 56,790 1.05 $ 53.51 $ 111,300
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 45,250 2.06 $ 46.85 $ 97,440
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 38,970 1.87 $ 70.46 $ 146,560
Management of Companies and Enterprises 20,810 0.86 $ 88.77 $ 184,640

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Lawyers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Legal Services 401,340 35.28 $ 73.86 $ 153,630
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) 520 2.47 $ 74.40 $ 154,740
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 45,250 2.06 $ 46.85 $ 97,440
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 38,970 1.87 $ 70.46 $ 146,560
Social Advocacy Organizations 3,110 1.42 $ 55.46 $ 115,360

Top paying industries for Lawyers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Specialized Design Services 80 0.06 $ 112.21 $ 233,400
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 450 0.28 $ 106.25 $ 221,000
Motion Picture and Video Industries 300 0.09 $ 104.98 $ 218,360
Cable and Other Subscription Programming 270 0.53 $ 104.26 $ 216,860
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 550 0.13 $ 100.22 $ 208,460

Geographic profile for Lawyers: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Lawyers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Lawyers, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Lawyers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 84,160 5.12 1.08 $ 86.28 $ 179,470
New York 76,660 8.82 1.86 $ 83.68 $ 174,060
Florida 47,010 5.57 1.18 $ 66.91 $ 139,160
Texas 46,340 3.83 0.81 $ 68.62 $ 142,730
District of Columbia 31,050 45.19 9.55 $ 94.76 $ 197,100




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Lawyers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 31,050 45.19 9.55 $ 94.76 $ 197,100
New York 76,660 8.82 1.86 $ 83.68 $ 174,060
Delaware 2,630 6.17 1.30 (8) (8)
Colorado 14,680 5.69 1.20 $ 71.31 $ 148,330
Massachusetts 18,880 5.64 1.19 $ 81.31 $ 169,120




Top paying states for Lawyers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 31,050 45.19 9.55 $ 94.76 $ 197,100
California 84,160 5.12 1.08 $ 86.28 $ 179,470
New York 76,660 8.82 1.86 $ 83.68 $ 174,060
Massachusetts 18,880 5.64 1.19 $ 81.31 $ 169,120
Connecticut 7,710 5.00 1.06 $ 76.05 $ 158,190





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Lawyers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 81,650 9.24 1.95 $ 86.62 $ 180,160
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 43,990 14.55 3.08 $ 89.46 $ 186,070
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 38,390 6.59 1.39 $ 86.64 $ 180,220
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 27,320 6.26 1.32 $ 76.45 $ 159,010
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 18,880 7.00 1.48 $ 73.14 $ 152,130
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 18,790 7.49 1.58 $ 81.48 $ 169,480
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 16,770 6.45 1.36 $ 84.41 $ 175,570
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 16,740 7.18 1.52 $ 97.08 $ 201,920
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 15,570 5.91 1.25 $ 71.75 $ 149,240
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 15,510 4.32 0.91 $ 72.23 $ 150,230




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Lawyers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 43,990 14.55 3.08 $ 89.46 $ 186,070
Tallahassee, FL 2,150 12.67 2.68 $ 48.96 $ 101,840
Charleston, WV 1,070 10.38 2.19 $ 52.72 $ 109,660
Santa Fe, NM 550 9.60 2.03 $ 45.55 $ 94,740
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 81,650 9.24 1.95 $ 86.62 $ 180,160
Trenton, NJ 1,860 8.06 1.70 (8) (8)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 4,120 8.00 1.69 $ 59.17 $ 123,070
Montgomery, AL 1,210 7.82 1.65 $ 51.35 $ 106,810
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 3,210 7.63 1.61 $ 54.89 $ 114,170
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 11,020 7.56 1.60 $ 73.11 $ 152,060