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Field of degree: Law and legal studies

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Law and legal studies field of degree. Employment: 123,890. Median annual wage: $53,000.

Table 1. Law and legal studies degree, 2019.

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Table 1. Law and legal studies degree, 2019
Data	Law and legal studies	All fields
Employment	123,890	56,820,460
Median wage	53,000	60,000
Percent employed part time	14	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	43	60
Percent with an advanced degree	36	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

Chart 1. Types of law and legal studies majors, 2019.

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Chart 1. Types of law and legal studies majors, 2019
Law and legal studies majors	Major share
Pre-Law And Legal Studies	94%
Court Reporting	6
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, 2019.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a law and legal studies degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Legal occupations	28%
Management occupations	13
Office and administrative support occupations	13
Business and financial operations occupations	10
Sales and related occupations	5
Other	31
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 2021–31	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019
Financial managers	17%	Bachelor's degree	1%	21%
Paralegals and legal assistants	14	Associate's degree	13	9
Lawyers	10	Doctoral or professional degree	13	92
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	4	20
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	2	48
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	3	High school diploma or equivalent	2	7
Customer service representatives	-4	High school diploma or equivalent	2	4
Office clerks, general	-5	High school diploma or equivalent	1	4
Chief executives	-7	Bachelor's degree	1	30
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive	-10	High school diploma or equivalent	3	4
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 January 18, 2023).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, September 8, 2022