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Field of degree: Law and legal studies

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Law and legal studies field of degree. Employment: 127,370. Median annual wage: $60,000.

Table 1. Law and legal studies degree, 2021.

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Table 1. Law and legal studies degree, 2021
Data	Law and legal studies	All fields
Employment	127,370	59,687,450
Median wage	60,000	63,000
Percent employed part time	13	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	52	62
Percent with an advanced degree	37	38
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of law and legal studies majors, 2021.

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Chart 1. Types of law and legal studies, 2021
Law and legal studies majors	Major share
Pre-Law And Legal Studies	100%
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a law and legal studies degree, by occupational group, 2021.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a law and legal studies degree, by occupational group, 2021
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Legal occupations	27%
Management occupations	17
Office and administrative support occupations	11
Business and financial operations occupations	9
Sales and related occupations	7
Other	29
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a law and legal studies degree.

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Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a law and legal studies degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile	Percent growth, projected 2022–32	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2021	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2021
Computer occupations, all other	10%	Bachelor's degree	1%	15%
Lawyers	8	Doctoral or professional degree	16	91
Accountants and auditors	4	Bachelor's degree	1	29
Paralegals and legal assistants	4	Associate's degree	10	10
Managers, all other	3	Bachelor's degree	3	21
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary	1	Master's degree	2	57
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	-7	High school diploma or equivalent	1	5
Office clerks, general	-7	High school diploma or equivalent	1	4
Chief executives	-8	Bachelor's degree	3	32
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	-12	High school diploma or equivalent	2	5
Note: Occupational profiles may comprise multiple SOC occupations, which may have differing education categories. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (projected growth, entry-level education) and U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (degree holders, advanced degrees).

Suggested citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Field of degree: Law and legal studies,
at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/law-and-legal-studies/law-and-legal-studies-field-of-degree.htm (visited September 06, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, September 6, 2023