Lawyers Salary: $261,078 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 747,750 lawyers nationally earn a mean of $261,078. Projections imply about 2.0% annual growth; CA accounts for about 89,290 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Lawyers: what the data shows
Common questions about lawyers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a lawyers?
Lawyers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 23-1011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 747,750 workers.
What does a lawyers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Providing Consultation and Advice to Others, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a lawyers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $151,160 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $261,078 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $103,817 |
| 25th percentile | $134,591 |
| Median (50th) | $203,165 |
What education do you need?
For Lawyers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is lawyers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 10.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 22.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 747,750.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do lawyerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 747,750 | 19.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 587,750 | 15.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 470,370 | 12.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 470,370 | 12.0% |
| Legal Services | 445,990 | 11.4% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 160,000 | 4.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Lawyers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Paralegals | 367,220 | $61,010 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 25,580 | $156,210 |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 154,540 | $54,140 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 59,590 | $78,270 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Lawyers workforce.
Employment Over Time
747,750 Workforce in 2023
The Lawyers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Lawyers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$261,078 Average Wage
In 2023, Lawyers earned an average of $261,078.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Lawyers.
Salary distribution for Lawyers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
404,963 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 10.5%
447,609 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 22.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Lawyers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Lawyers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Lawyers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Lawyers.
Wage Trends by Industry
16.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Lawyers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Lawyers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 89,290 employees, $249,608 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Lawyers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 32,180 employees, $273,621 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 11,210 employees, $285,688 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 8,990 employees, $198,933 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 8,810 employees, $293,843 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 6,730 employees, $207,490 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 6,270 employees, $322,975 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 5,130 employees, $277,822 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 3,160 employees, N/A avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 1,470 employees, N/A avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 1,030 employees, $205,713 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Lawyers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Lawyers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Lawyers in 2023 was 747,750 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Lawyers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Lawyers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Lawyers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Lawyers in 2023 were Law, Political Science, History.
Common majors for Lawyers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Lawyers workers.
Education level distribution for Lawyers.
Skills
Lawyers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Lawyers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Lawyers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Lawyers include Law and Government, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Personnel and Human Resources.
Knowledge areas required for Lawyers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Lawyers include Oral Expression, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Written Expression.
Required abilities for Lawyers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Lawyers.
Daily Activities
Lawyers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Providing Consultation and Advice to Others.
Most important work activities for Lawyers.
About
Lawyers
The average yearly wage for Lawyers was $261,078 in 2023.
SOC Code
23-1011 - Lawyers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Lawyers reports an average salary of $261,078, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 747,750 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.