Lawyers Salary: $151,160 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 747,750 lawyers work nationally, and $151,160 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 2.0% annual growth; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
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 percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $103,817 |
| 25th percentile | $134,591 |
| Median (50th) | $203,165 |
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 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Lawyers grew from 265,940 in 2009 to 366,380 in 2025 (37.8%).
Historical employment for Lawyers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$151,160 Median pay (BLS national)
Lawyers earn $151,160 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 92,580 employees, $254,170 avg wage
- NY: 91,440 employees, $208,080 avg wage
- FL: 59,010 employees, $152,360 avg wage
- TX: 54,680 employees, $162,840 avg wage
- IL: 33,430 employees, $177,740 avg wage
- DC: 33,430 employees, $236,700 avg wage
- PA: 26,340 employees, $155,050 avg wage
- NJ: 23,360 employees, $186,430 avg wage
- GA: 23,010 employees, $185,830 avg wage
- MA: 22,020 employees, $218,340 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Lawyers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 93,730 employees, $216,120 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 48,170 employees, $219,400 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 40,990 employees, $270,610 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 28,380 employees, $186,270 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 26,720 employees, $163,350 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 18,900 employees, $226,830 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 18,270 employees, $172,130 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 17,810 employees, $204,880 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 17,290 employees, $163,910 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 16,940 employees, $275,170 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Lawyers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Lawyers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Lawyers is about 747,750 people in our OEWS extract.
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
Lawyers earn $151,160 as the BLS national median annual wage.
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.