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Best states for an attorney at law
Quoted expert
Jason Cieslik
- Rank 1 - 10
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It seems like attorneys at law are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for attorneys at law aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. As attorneys at law are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for attorneys at law. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as an attorney at law, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
In order to get you the best states for attorneys at law, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.District of Columbia is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for attorneys at law.
10 best states for attorneys at law in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total attorney at law jobs: 181 Average annual salary: $128,984 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000 Location Quotient: 10.15
2. California
Total attorney at law jobs: 462 Average annual salary: $121,482 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $190,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
3. Virginia
Total attorney at law jobs: 99 Average annual salary: $117,928 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
4. New York
Total attorney at law jobs: 210 Average annual salary: $111,597 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
5. New Jersey
Total attorney at law jobs: 79 Average annual salary: $110,986 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
6. New Mexico
Total attorney at law jobs: 18 Average annual salary: $104,876 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
7. Colorado
Total attorney at law jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $101,728 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1
8. Washington
Total attorney at law jobs: 67 Average annual salary: $102,627 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
9. Pennsylvania
Total attorney at law jobs: 76 Average annual salary: $99,345 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.61
10. North Dakota
Total attorney at law jobs: 7 Average annual salary: $98,292 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
Attorney at law jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an attorney at law
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an attorney at law
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $128,984 | $83,000 | 693,972 | 181 |
| 2 | California | $121,482 | $77,000 | 39,536,653 | 462 |
| 3 | Virginia | $117,928 | $75,000 | 8,470,020 | 99 |
| 4 | New York | $111,597 | $71,000 | 19,849,399 | 210 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $110,986 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 79 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $104,876 | $64,000 | 2,088,070 | 18 |
| 7 | Colorado | $101,728 | $63,000 | 5,607,154 | 63 |
| 8 | Washington | $102,627 | $65,000 | 7,405,743 | 67 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $99,345 | $63,000 | 12,805,537 | 76 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $98,292 | $63,000 | 755,393 | 7 |
| 11 | Mississippi | $106,266 | $64,000 | 2,984,100 | 5 |
| 12 | Nevada | $97,382 | $60,000 | 2,998,039 | 15 |
| 13 | Texas | $92,428 | $55,000 | 28,304,596 | 221 |
| 14 | Arizona | $94,037 | $58,000 | 7,016,270 | 61 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $95,976 | $61,000 | 6,859,819 | 97 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $97,661 | $62,000 | 1,342,795 | 10 |
| 17 | Georgia | $93,003 | $56,000 | 10,429,379 | 93 |
| 18 | Florida | $89,217 | $54,000 | 20,984,400 | 287 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $93,809 | $58,000 | 10,273,419 | 60 |
| 20 | Vermont | $99,162 | $63,000 | 623,657 | 3 |
| 21 | Maine | $95,682 | $61,000 | 1,335,907 | 8 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $96,472 | $62,000 | 1,059,639 | 6 |
| 23 | Illinois | $92,701 | $58,000 | 12,802,023 | 103 |
| 24 | Utah | $93,049 | $57,000 | 3,101,833 | 17 |
| 25 | Michigan | $85,435 | $54,000 | 9,962,311 | 66 |
| 26 | Oregon | $86,372 | $54,000 | 4,142,776 | 37 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $81,722 | $48,000 | 4,684,333 | 31 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $92,707 | $59,000 | 3,588,184 | 17 |
| 29 | Maryland | $90,024 | $57,000 | 6,052,177 | 48 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $81,152 | $52,000 | 5,576,606 | 67 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $76,171 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 59 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $86,073 | $53,000 | 4,454,189 | 16 |
| 33 | Alaska | $77,160 | $53,000 | 739,795 | 10 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $81,696 | $49,000 | 6,715,984 | 35 |
| 35 | Delaware | $84,303 | $53,000 | 961,939 | 7 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $71,329 | $44,000 | 1,920,076 | 26 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $82,393 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 5 |
| 38 | Alabama | $82,157 | $49,000 | 4,874,747 | 9 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $73,844 | $47,000 | 5,795,483 | 49 |
| 40 | Iowa | $77,620 | $48,000 | 3,145,711 | 21 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $58,322 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 31 |
| 42 | Idaho | $66,163 | $41,000 | 1,716,943 | 18 |
| 43 | Indiana | $72,205 | $45,000 | 6,666,818 | 50 |
| 44 | Ohio | $76,219 | $48,000 | 11,658,609 | 49 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $73,061 | $46,000 | 869,666 | 7 |
| 46 | Montana | $54,014 | $34,000 | 1,050,493 | 23 |
| 47 | Missouri | $71,139 | $43,000 | 6,113,532 | 50 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $74,213 | $44,000 | 3,930,864 | 13 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $57,554 | $41,000 | 1,427,538 | 8 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $61,138 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 18 |
| 51 | Kansas | $66,157 | $40,000 | 2,913,123 | 17 |
Highest paying states for attorneys at law
| Rank | State | Avg. Attorney At Law Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $128,984 |
| 2 | California | $121,482 |
| 3 | Virginia | $117,928 |
| 4 | New York | $111,597 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $110,986 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $104,876 |
| 7 | Colorado | $101,728 |
| 8 | Washington | $102,627 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $99,345 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $98,292 |
| 11 | Mississippi | $106,266 |
| 12 | Nevada | $97,382 |
| 13 | Texas | $92,428 |
| 14 | Arizona | $94,037 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $95,976 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $97,661 |
| 17 | Georgia | $93,003 |
| 18 | Florida | $89,217 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $93,809 |
| 20 | Vermont | $99,162 |
| 21 | Maine | $95,682 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $96,472 |
| 23 | Illinois | $92,701 |
| 24 | Utah | $93,049 |
| 25 | Michigan | $85,435 |
| 26 | Oregon | $86,372 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $81,722 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $92,707 |
| 29 | Maryland | $90,024 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $81,152 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $76,171 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $86,073 |
| 33 | Alaska | $77,160 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $81,696 |
| 35 | Delaware | $84,303 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $71,329 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $82,393 |
| 38 | Alabama | $82,157 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $73,844 |
| 40 | Iowa | $77,620 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $58,322 |
| 42 | Idaho | $66,163 |
| 43 | Indiana | $72,205 |
| 44 | Ohio | $76,219 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $73,061 |
| 46 | Montana | $54,014 |
| 47 | Missouri | $71,139 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $74,213 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $57,554 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $61,138 |
| 51 | Kansas | $66,157 |
Expert opinions on the best states for attorneys at law
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Attorneys at law to find work opportunities?
Jason Cieslik
Assistant Professor & Academic Advisor of Legal Studies, Illinois State University
The old saying in the legal profession used to be that 80% of the available legal jobs are not posted. Attorneys communicated their need to hire a legal professional by word of mouth and in-person interaction at social legal functions. It's not certain that this old adage holds true today. Attorneys may be utilizing more traditional methods of posting job opportunities.
Jobs are available, but certain legal specialties may be thriving more than others. However, this cyclical trend tends to hold true regardless of whether the country is experiencing a pandemic or not. Rather than focusing on the specific location of where jobs are located around the country, it appears that legal professionals seeking employment should focus on areas of law that have work and need employees to complete that work. The great aspect of the legal profession is that attorneys and paralegals have always been more than willing to assist one another. Employment is no different. Legal professionals seeking work need to start making as many connections as possible with other legal professionals by phone, email, and other socially distant forms of communication to establish a network.
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Updated January 8, 2025