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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Lawyers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
707,160 1.0 % $ 78.74 $ 163,770 1.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for Lawyers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 31.96 $ 45.40 $ 65.26 $ 100.47 (5)
Annual Wage (2) $ 66,470 $ 94,440 $ 135,740 $ 208,980 (5)


Industry profile for Lawyers:

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 434,360 36.80 $ 80.11 $ 166,640
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 60,260 1.12 $ 59.62 $ 124,010
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 45,540 2.15 $ 49.71 $ 103,390
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 39,650 1.90 $ 73.41 $ 152,700
Management of Companies and Enterprises 21,040 0.78 $ 109.16 $ 227,050

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 434,360 36.80 $ 80.11 $ 166,640
Other Investment Pools and Funds 420 2.40 $ 86.57 $ 180,070
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 45,540 2.15 $ 49.71 $ 103,390
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 39,650 1.90 $ 73.41 $ 152,700
Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) 320 1.49 $ 82.39 $ 171,370

Top paying industries for Lawyers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nonscheduled Air Transportation 40 0.08 $ 149.16 $ 310,250
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 600 0.38 $ 132.77 $ 276,160
Office Administrative Services 1,960 0.37 $ 125.84 $ 261,740
Spectator Sports 220 0.17 $ 120.80 $ 251,260
Sound Recording Industries 70 0.36 $ 119.86 $ 249,320


Geographic profile for Lawyers:

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.



Map of employment of lawyers by state, May 2022


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 87,780 4.98 1.04 $ 96.89 $ 201,530
New York 86,230 9.47 1.98 $ 90.82 $ 188,900
Florida 57,080 6.20 1.30 $ 65.31 $ 135,840
Texas 50,070 3.85 0.81 $ 80.10 $ 166,620
District of Columbia 33,610 48.70 10.18 $ 108.90 $ 226,510


Map of location quotient of lawyers by state, May 2022


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 33,610 48.70 10.18 $ 108.90 $ 226,510
New York 86,230 9.47 1.98 $ 90.82 $ 188,900
Florida 57,080 6.20 1.30 $ 65.31 $ 135,840
Delaware 2,660 5.83 1.22 (8) (8)
Massachusetts 20,380 5.71 1.20 $ 94.34 $ 196,230


Map of annual mean wages of lawyers by state, May 2022


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 33,610 48.70 10.18 $ 108.90 $ 226,510
California 87,780 4.98 1.04 $ 96.89 $ 201,530
Massachusetts 20,380 5.71 1.20 $ 94.34 $ 196,230
New York 86,230 9.47 1.98 $ 90.82 $ 188,900
Connecticut 8,380 5.13 1.07 $ 83.91 $ 174,520



Map of employment of lawyers by area, May 2022


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 89,700 9.77 2.04 $ 92.92 $ 193,280
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 46,710 15.43 3.23 $ 101.85 $ 211,850
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 38,510 6.31 1.32 $ 93.69 $ 194,870
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 27,200 6.16 1.29 $ 78.47 $ 163,220
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 26,680 10.17 2.13 $ 69.69 $ 144,960
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 18,450 6.66 1.39 $ 76.88 $ 159,900
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 17,980 6.65 1.39 $ 97.55 $ 202,900
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 17,570 4.62 0.97 $ 87.42 $ 181,840
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 17,110 7.15 1.50 $ 115.06 $ 239,330
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 15,740 5.77 1.21 $ 84.73 $ 176,230


Map of location quotient of lawyers by area, May 2022


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 46,710 15.43 3.23 $ 101.85 $ 211,850
Tallahassee, FL 1,950 11.04 2.31 $ 46.94 $ 97,620
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 26,680 10.17 2.13 $ 69.69 $ 144,960
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 89,700 9.77 2.04 $ 92.92 $ 193,280
Santa Fe, NM 570 9.53 1.99 $ 53.91 $ 112,140
Trenton, NJ 2,140 9.04 1.89 $ 72.43 $ 150,660
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 4,350 8.39 1.75 $ 68.27 $ 142,000
Charleston, WV 800 7.98 1.67 $ 72.12 $ 150,000
Carson City, NV 220 7.50 1.57 $ 59.68 $ 124,140
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 11,550 7.44 1.56 $ 84.07 $ 174,870


Map of annual mean wages of lawyers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Lawyers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 5,420 4.83 1.01 $ 128.77 $ 267,840
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 17,110 7.15 1.50 $ 115.06 $ 239,330
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 46,710 15.43 3.23 $ 101.85 $ 211,850
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 2,410 6.12 1.28 $ 100.85 $ 209,770
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 1,040 3.33 0.70 $ 99.99 $ 207,970
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 17,980 6.65 1.39 $ 97.55 $ 202,900
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 38,510 6.31 1.32 $ 93.69 $ 194,870
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 89,700 9.77 2.04 $ 92.92 $ 193,280
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 7,900 5.30 1.11 $ 89.63 $ 186,440
Santa Rosa, CA 500 2.48 0.52 $ 88.92 $ 184,950

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Lawyers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 740 1.94 0.41 $ 39.75 $ 82,670
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 730 5.04 1.05 $ 48.34 $ 100,560
Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 620 3.45 0.72 $ 38.24 $ 79,530
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 580 3.12 0.65 $ 42.20 $ 87,770
Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 490 2.95 0.62 $ 58.37 $ 121,410

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 460 5.06 1.06 $ 48.19 $ 100,240
Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area 730 5.04 1.05 $ 48.34 $ 100,560
West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area 260 4.15 0.87 $ 41.23 $ 85,760
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 410 4.12 0.86 $ 42.12 $ 87,610
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 370 3.84 0.80 $ 40.39 $ 84,000

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Lawyers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 170 0.86 0.18 $ 74.20 $ 154,330
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 200 1.96 0.41 $ 71.21 $ 148,110
West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 170 1.68 0.35 $ 70.89 $ 147,440
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 230 2.35 0.49 $ 69.61 $ 144,780
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 80 1.36 0.28 $ 68.44 $ 142,350


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(5) This wage is equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023