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Field of degree: Law and legal studies

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Law and legal studies field of degree. Employment: 134,680. Median annual wage: $67,000.

Table 1. Law and legal studies degree, 2022.

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Table 1. Law and legal studies degree, 2022
Data	Law and legal studies	All fields
Employment	134,680	62,187,580
Median wage	67,000	66,000
Percent employed part time	11	14
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	46	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, 2022.

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Chart 1. Types of law and legal studies, 2022
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, 2022.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a law and legal studies degree, by occupational group, 2022
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Legal occupations	29%
Management occupations	16
Office and administrative support occupations	10
Business and financial operations occupations	10
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 2023–33	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2022	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2022
Financial managers	17%	Bachelor's degree	1%	22%
Human resources specialists	8	Bachelor's degree	1	19
Accountants and auditors	6	Bachelor's degree	1	30
Managers, all other	6	Bachelor's degree	5	21
Chief executives	5	Bachelor's degree	2	31
Lawyers	5	Doctoral or professional degree	14	92
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers	1	High school diploma or equivalent	2	9
Paralegals and legal assistants	1	Associate's degree	14	9
Elementary school teachers, except special education	-1	Bachelor's degree	1	49
Customer service representatives	-5	High school diploma or equivalent	2	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 July 12, 2025).

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024