Outpaid

Lawyers salary

The BLS estimates 754,500 Lawyers jobs in the U.S. with a median base pay of $159,670 (May 2025, SOC 23-1011). Across 304 metros with published figures, medians range from $76,050 in South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area to $301,320 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.

LAWYERS · UNITED STATES · BLS
BLS · UNITED STATES · ALL EMPLOYERS, ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
P10$78,360P25$102,990MEDIAN$159,670P75$221,370P90$351,600
30 SECONDS · NO SIGNUP · ON-DEVICE

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HIGHEST-PAYING METROS

  1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$301,320 · 6,040 jobs
  2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$212,500 · 18,470 jobs
  3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$208,880 · 94,610 jobs
  4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$195,190 · 46,840 jobs
  5. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$194,410 · 41,580 jobs
  6. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$185,520 · 1,220 jobs
  7. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$183,350 · 20,080 jobs
  8. Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$181,560 · 590 jobs
  9. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$180,610 · 2,100 jobs
  10. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$178,540 · 7,620 jobs

LARGEST METROS

  1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$208,880 · 94,610 jobs
  2. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$195,190 · 46,840 jobs
  3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$194,410 · 41,580 jobs
  4. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$165,660 · 28,320 jobs
  5. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$160,320 · 23,270 jobs
  6. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$183,350 · 20,080 jobs
  7. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$170,660 · 19,040 jobs
  8. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$138,210 · 18,760 jobs
  9. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$212,500 · 18,470 jobs
  10. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$168,510 · 17,110 jobs

EMPLOYERS WITH THE MOST VISA-SPONSORED FILINGS FOR THIS JOB

ALL METROS (A–Z)

Akron, OH · Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY · Albuquerque, NM · Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA · Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX · Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD · Baton Rouge, LA · Birmingham, AL · Boise City, ID · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT · Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY · Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL · Charleston-North Charleston, SC · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · Cleveland, OH · Colorado Springs, CO · Columbia, SC · Columbus, OH · Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX · Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI · Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · Fresno, CA · Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI · Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC · Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA · Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT · Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · Jackson, MS · Jacksonville, FL · Kansas City, MO-KS · Knoxville, TN · Lansing-East Lansing, MI · Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV · Lexington-Fayette, KY · Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA · Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN · Madison, WI · Memphis, TN-MS-AR · Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL · Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI · Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN · New Haven, CT · New Orleans-Metairie, LA · New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ · North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL · Oklahoma City, OK · Omaha, NE-IA · Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL · Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD · Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ · Pittsburgh, PA · Portland-South Portland, ME · Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA · Providence-Warwick, RI-MA · Raleigh-Cary, NC · Richmond, VA · Rochester, NY · Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA · Salt Lake City-Murray, UT · San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · St. Louis, MO-IL · Syracuse, NY · Tallahassee, FL · Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL · Trenton-Princeton, NJ · Tucson, AZ · Tulsa, OK · Urban Honolulu, HI · Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · Worcester, MA

Questions

What is the median Lawyers salary in the U.S.?

$159,670 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $102,990–$221,370.

Where do Lawyers earn the most?

Highest metro medians: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($301,320), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($212,500), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ ($208,880). Cost of living differs, so compare offers locally.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025 (metro, state and national estimates). Employer filing counts: U.S. DOL OFLC LCA disclosure data FY2026 Q3, visa-sponsored positions only.