How much does an attorney make?

The average attorney salary in the United States is $109,476. Attorney salaries typically range between $69,000 and $172,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for attorneys is $52.63 per hour. Attorney salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Attorneys earn the highest average salary in New York.

Attorney salary

Q: What state pays Attorneys the most?

New York pays Attorneys the most in the United States, with an average salary of $130,648 per year, or $62.81 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an attorney?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an attorney if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in District of Columbia you should be paid close to $127,172 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for an Attorney?

A good starting salary for an attorney is $50,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for an attorney in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for attorneys is $86,966, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for an attorney can vary by state.

Q: Do lawyers actually make good money?

Yes, lawyers actually make good money, but it takes time. The average median salary for a lawyer is $86,000 a year, with the top 25% earning an average of $186,300 a year. However, a lawyer just starting should expect to be making a lot less.

Q: How much do lawyers make at the most?

Lawyers make over a million dollars a year at the most. The average median salary, however, for a lawyer is only $86,000 a year. The top 25% earn an average of $186,300 a year. The amount of money you make largely depends on the type of lawyer you are.

Q: How much does a legal professional earn?

Legal professionals earn different average salaries depending on their specific position; however, the average salary for a lawyer is around $120,000 in a year. Lawyers made a median salary of $123,000, the best-paid 25% earned $186,000 per year, while the lowest-paid 25% made $81,000 in a year.

Average attorney salary

$109,476

$52.63 hourly rate

Entry-level attorney salary

$69,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Attorney Salaries

The average annual salary for an attorney is $109,476, or about $53 per hour. However, attorney salaries can differ significantly based on experience, specialization, and location. For instance, attorneys in states like California and New York often command higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for legal services.

Factors Influencing Salary

Experience plays a critical role; entry-level attorneys may earn significantly less, while those with several years of experience or specialized skills can see salaries exceeding $150,000 annually. Furthermore, attorneys working in corporate law, intellectual property, or high-stakes litigation typically report higher earnings compared to those in public interest roles.

Opportunities for Advancement

To maximize earning potential, aspiring attorneys should consider various career paths, including private practice, government positions, and in-house counsel roles. Additionally, pursuing advanced certifications or focusing on emerging fields can enhance marketability and salary prospects.

Conclusion

Understanding the intricacies of attorney salaries aids job seekers in making informed career choices. Explore available positions and leverage Zippia’s resources to find the right opportunity to advance your legal career.

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Where can an Attorney earn more?

Compare salary by location

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127k

107k

87k

67k

47k

Columbus, OH$131,713

Salt Lake City, UT$76,669

Compare salary by company

255k

235k

215k

195k

175k

Thompson Coburn$238,940

Boies Schiller Flexner$204,835

Attorney salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level attorney	$63,500	$30.55
Mid-level attorney	$76,700	$36.86
Senior-level attorney	$161,000	$77.32

Attorney salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert and Comparably, the average salary for an attorney typically falls between $98,569 and $171,315.

zippia

$109,476yearly

glassdoor[1]

$135,205yearly

indeed[2]

$103,893yearly

comparably[3]

$98,569yearly

Salary.com[4]

$137,153yearly

SalaryExpert[5]

$171,315yearly

Average attorney salary by state

The highest-paying states for attorneys are New York, California, and Massachusetts. The lowest average attorney salary states are Kansas, Idaho, and Indiana.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for attorneys

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$130,648	$62.81
2	District of Columbia	$127,172	$61.14
3	California	$125,659	$60.41
4	Massachusetts	$115,902	$55.72
5	Delaware	$100,929	$48.52
6	Virginia	$105,281	$50.62
7	New Jersey	$101,074	$48.59
8	Connecticut	$107,945	$51.90
9	Arizona	$93,188	$44.80
10	Texas	$89,493	$43.03
11	New Mexico	$101,051	$48.58
12	New Hampshire	$95,225	$45.78
13	North Dakota	$97,400	$46.83
14	Colorado	$92,676	$44.56
15	Mississippi	$100,358	$48.25
16	Illinois	$91,646	$44.06
17	Maine	$91,820	$44.14
18	Vermont	$95,743	$46.03
19	Washington	$90,337	$43.43
20	Rhode Island	$94,525	$45.44
21	Georgia	$83,232	$40.02
22	Nevada	$87,667	$42.15
23	Oregon	$86,676	$41.67
24	Pennsylvania	$82,538	$39.68
25	Minnesota	$79,839	$38.38
26	Maryland	$91,546	$44.01
27	Florida	$79,287	$38.12
28	Kentucky	$85,827	$41.26
29	Louisiana	$80,971	$38.93
30	Montana	$73,818	$35.49
31	North Carolina	$77,681	$37.35
32	Michigan	$77,633	$37.32
33	West Virginia	$81,422	$39.15
34	Ohio	$72,939	$35.07
35	Nebraska	$73,161	$35.17
36	Tennessee	$76,057	$36.57
37	Utah	$77,132	$37.08
38	South Dakota	$74,217	$35.68
39	Missouri	$68,519	$32.94
40	Wyoming	$59,905	$28.80
41	Alaska	$73,407	$35.29
42	Wisconsin	$70,932	$34.10
43	Alabama	$72,110	$34.67
44	Iowa	$71,048	$34.16
45	Arkansas	$59,520	$28.62
46	Hawaii	$71,690	$34.47
47	Oklahoma	$69,240	$33.29
48	Idaho	$65,019	$31.26
49	Kansas	$66,610	$32.02
50	South Carolina	$62,861	$30.22
51	Indiana	$64,013	$30.78

Top attorney jobs near you

Highest paying cities for attorneys

The highest-paying cities for attorneys are White Plains, NY, Menlo Park, CA, and Washington, DC.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	White Plains, NY	$131,713	$63.32
2	Menlo Park, CA	$131,426	$63.19
3	Washington, DC	$127,954	$61.52
4	Boston, MA	$116,134	$55.83
5	Arlington, VA	$105,744	$50.84
6	Phoenix, AZ	$93,309	$44.86
7	Denver, CO	$92,617	$44.53
8	Chicago, IL	$91,916	$44.19
9	Baltimore, MD	$91,715	$44.09
10	Austin, TX	$91,119	$43.81
11	Seattle, WA	$90,824	$43.67
12	Las Vegas, NV	$88,398	$42.50
13	Portland, OR	$86,152	$41.42
14	Atlanta, GA	$83,375	$40.08
15	Philadelphia, PA	$83,048	$39.93
16	Baton Rouge, LA	$81,483	$39.17
17	Saint Paul, MN	$79,969	$38.45
18	Tampa, FL	$79,782	$38.36
19	Raleigh, NC	$78,608	$37.79
20	Salt Lake City, UT	$76,669	$36.86

Attorneys are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Attorney salary details

An attorney's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $172,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average attorney salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an attorney's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$172,000	$14,333	$83
75th Percentile	$139,000	$11,583	$67
Average	$109,476	$9,123	$53
25th Percentile	$86,000	$7,167	$41
10th Percentile	$69,000	$5,750	$33

Highest paying attorney jobs

The highest paying types of attorneys are general counsel, lawyer, and litigation associate.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Law Clerk	$55,916	$4,660	$26.88	75,014
Lawyer	$115,808	$9,651	$55.68	2,897
Housing Counselor	$78,730	$6,561	$37.85	33,639
Legal Consultant	$75,024	$6,252	$36.07	16,118
General Counsel	$125,248	$10,437	$60.22	50,275
Law Internship	$39,394	$3,283	$18.94	51,663

Top companies hiring attorneys now:

Which companies pay attorneys the most?

Attorney salaries at Thompson Coburn and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average attorney salary at companies like The Bar Association of San Francisco and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Thompson Coburn	$238,940	$114.88
2	Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner	$237,704	$114.28
3	The Bar Association of San Francisco	$234,608	$112.79
4	Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough	$230,729	$110.93
5	Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld	$226,637	$108.96
6	Haynes and Boone	$222,358	$106.90
7	Reed Smith	$221,913	$106.69
8	Vinson & Elkins	$218,287	$104.95
9	Davis Wright Tremaine	$216,247	$103.96
10	Hughes Hubbard & Reed	$215,418	$103.57
11	Nossaman	$214,878	$103.31
12	Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner	$214,285	$103.02
13	Nixon Peabody	$210,293	$101.10
14	alliantgroup	$207,900	$99.95
15	Van Ness Feldman	$207,777	$99.89
16	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett	$206,706	$99.38
17	Snell & Wilmer	$206,440	$99.25
18	Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman	$206,071	$99.07
19	Manatt, Phelps & Phillips	$205,862	$98.97
20	Boies Schiller Flexner	$204,835	$98.48

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$97,000$95,800$94,600$93,400$92,200$91,000

MaleFemale

Attorney salary trends

The average attorney salary has risen by $11,747 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average attorney earned $97,729 annually, but today, they earn $109,476 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for attorneys over the last decade.

Compare attorney salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average attorney salary over time

Compare attorney salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Attorney salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$109,000	$52.63	+3.1%
2024	$106,000	$50.99	+1.7%
2023	$104,000	$50.14	+1.4%
2022	$103,000	$49.45	+0.9%
2021	$102,000	$49.00	+2.0%

Recently added attorney salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
DLA Piper	Ediscovery Attorney	Short Hills, NJ	06/30/2025	$150,000
DLA Piper	Ediscovery Attorney	Miami, FL	06/30/2025	$150,000
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco	Attorney	Saint Louis, MO	06/30/2025	$130,000
Children's Law Center of California	Attorney	Noble, LA	06/30/2025	$88,510
Ice Miller LLP	Conflicts Attorney	Indianapolis, IN	06/29/2025	$90,000
Community Service Society of New York	Health Attorney	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$84,710
Cta	Chief Attorney-Torts	Chicago, IL	06/29/2025	$146,968
Mass	Managing Attorney	Boston, MA	06/29/2025	$124,068
Get It-Healthcare	Healthcare Attorney-Remote	Silver Spring, MD	06/29/2025	$93,915
Get It-Executive	Attorney-Remote \| WFH	McLean, VA	06/29/2025	$111,815