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Occupational Outlook Handbook > Field of Degree > Law and legal studies >

Field of degree: Law and legal studies

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Law and legal studies field of degree. Employment: 120,850. Median annual wage: $52,000.

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Table 1. Law and legal studies degree, 2018
Data	Law and legal studies	All fields
Employment	120,850	55,381,020
Median wage	$52,000	$59,000
Percent employed part time	15	15
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree	42	59
Percent with an advanced degree	30	37
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

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Chart 1. Types of law and legal studies majors, 2018
Law and legal studies majors	Major share
Pre-law and legal studies	95%
Court reporting	5
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

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Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a law and legal studies degree, by occupational group, 2018
Occupational group	Occupational group share
Legal occupations	27%
Management occupations	12
Office and administrative support occupations	12
Business and financial operations occupations	9
Sales and related occupations	7
Other	33
Note: The sum of percents by major may not total 100 due to rounding. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.

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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 2019–29	Typical entry-level education	Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2018	Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2018
Financial managers	15%	Bachelor's degree	1%	21%
Paralegals and legal assistants	10	Associate's degree	15	10
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	6	High school diploma or equivalent	2	6
Social workers, all other	5	Bachelor's degree	2	38
Lawyers	4	Doctoral or professional degree	11	93
Elementary school teachers, except special education	4	Bachelor's degree	2	50
Accountants and auditors	4	Bachelor's degree	2	26
Personal service managers, all other; entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling; and managers, all other	-2	Bachelor's degree	4	21
Customer service representatives	-2	High school diploma or equivalent	2	4
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 April 22, 2021).

Last Modified Date: Monday, November 30, 2020