Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for an attorney law clerk
Quoted expert
Jason Cieslik
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Attorney law clerk opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for attorney law clerks, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for attorney law clerks.Our research shows that District of Columbia is the best state in the country for attorney law clerks.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for attorney law clerks.District of Columbia is the best state, and Southampton is the city with the highest pay for attorney law clerks.
10 best states for attorney law clerks in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 201 Average annual salary: $159,299 Lowest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $237,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
2. New York
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 1,545 Average annual salary: $125,113 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
3. Washington
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 981 Average annual salary: $109,433 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
4. Vermont
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 74 Average annual salary: $118,064 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
5. Massachusetts
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 734 Average annual salary: $120,283 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $188,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
6. Connecticut
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 461 Average annual salary: $102,352 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.6
7. Colorado
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 677 Average annual salary: $106,296 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
8. North Dakota
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 61 Average annual salary: $113,766 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
9. Illinois
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 1,101 Average annual salary: $108,118 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
10. Delaware
Total attorney law clerk jobs: 132 Average annual salary: $105,865 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
Attorney law clerk jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an attorney law clerk
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an attorney law clerk
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $159,299 | $106,000 | 693,972 | 201 |
| 2 | New York | $125,113 | $80,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,545 |
| 3 | Washington | $109,433 | $70,000 | 7,405,743 | 981 |
| 4 | Vermont | $118,064 | $75,000 | 623,657 | 74 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $120,283 | $76,000 | 6,859,819 | 734 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $102,352 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 461 |
| 7 | Colorado | $106,296 | $66,000 | 5,607,154 | 677 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $113,766 | $73,000 | 755,393 | 61 |
| 9 | Illinois | $108,118 | $68,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,101 |
| 10 | Delaware | $105,865 | $66,000 | 961,939 | 132 |
| 11 | Maine | $112,303 | $71,000 | 1,335,907 | 71 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $94,511 | $57,000 | 6,715,984 | 705 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $100,278 | $63,000 | 869,666 | 109 |
| 14 | Missouri | $99,031 | $60,000 | 6,113,532 | 630 |
| 15 | Nevada | $110,990 | $71,000 | 2,998,039 | 13 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $107,536 | $67,000 | 1,059,639 | 83 |
| 17 | Idaho | $93,388 | $59,000 | 1,716,943 | 176 |
| 18 | Oregon | $89,723 | $57,000 | 4,142,776 | 539 |
| 19 | Florida | $90,432 | $54,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,851 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $101,392 | $63,000 | 1,342,795 | 98 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $80,344 | $50,000 | 579,315 | 85 |
| 22 | Montana | $100,127 | $63,000 | 1,050,493 | 15 |
| 23 | Ohio | $82,801 | $51,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,122 |
| 24 | Michigan | $79,798 | $50,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,031 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $80,819 | $49,000 | 4,454,189 | 443 |
| 26 | Georgia | $87,151 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 870 |
| 27 | California | $100,795 | $65,000 | 39,536,653 | 399 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $83,731 | $52,000 | 1,815,857 | 119 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $83,105 | $52,000 | 5,576,606 | 702 |
| 30 | Kansas | $91,041 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 11 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $80,568 | $50,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,184 |
| 32 | Arizona | $87,648 | $56,000 | 7,016,270 | 54 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $80,913 | $49,000 | 10,273,419 | 872 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $79,967 | $50,000 | 2,088,070 | 186 |
| 35 | Virginia | $83,406 | $52,000 | 8,470,020 | 814 |
| 36 | Texas | $75,744 | $46,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,284 |
| 37 | Utah | $71,597 | $45,000 | 3,101,833 | 397 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $76,977 | $46,000 | 5,024,369 | 401 |
| 39 | Maryland | $79,954 | $50,000 | 6,052,177 | 513 |
| 40 | Alaska | $58,576 | $42,000 | 739,795 | 115 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $63,909 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 713 |
| 42 | Indiana | $63,390 | $39,000 | 6,666,818 | 813 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $76,818 | $46,000 | 4,684,333 | 214 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $74,463 | $45,000 | 3,004,279 | 185 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $73,621 | $44,000 | 2,984,100 | 170 |
| 46 | Iowa | $76,975 | $47,000 | 3,145,711 | 14 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $66,604 | $41,000 | 1,920,076 | 223 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $66,780 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 75 |
| 49 | New Jersey | $78,220 | $49,000 | 9,005,644 | 64 |
| 50 | Alabama | $70,140 | $42,000 | 4,874,747 | 264 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $63,905 | $39,000 | 3,930,864 | 268 |
Highest paying states for attorney law clerks
| Rank | State | Avg. Attorney Law Clerk Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $159,299 |
| 2 | New York | $125,113 |
| 3 | Washington | $109,433 |
| 4 | Vermont | $118,064 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $120,283 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $102,352 |
| 7 | Colorado | $106,296 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $113,766 |
| 9 | Illinois | $108,118 |
| 10 | Delaware | $105,865 |
| 11 | Maine | $112,303 |
| 12 | Tennessee | $94,511 |
| 13 | South Dakota | $100,278 |
| 14 | Missouri | $99,031 |
| 15 | Nevada | $110,990 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $107,536 |
| 17 | Idaho | $93,388 |
| 18 | Oregon | $89,723 |
| 19 | Florida | $90,432 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $101,392 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $80,344 |
| 22 | Montana | $100,127 |
| 23 | Ohio | $82,801 |
| 24 | Michigan | $79,798 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $80,819 |
| 26 | Georgia | $87,151 |
| 27 | California | $100,795 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $83,731 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $83,105 |
| 30 | Kansas | $91,041 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $80,568 |
| 32 | Arizona | $87,648 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $80,913 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $79,967 |
| 35 | Virginia | $83,406 |
| 36 | Texas | $75,744 |
| 37 | Utah | $71,597 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $76,977 |
| 39 | Maryland | $79,954 |
| 40 | Alaska | $58,576 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $63,909 |
| 42 | Indiana | $63,390 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $76,818 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $74,463 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $73,621 |
| 46 | Iowa | $76,975 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $66,604 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $66,780 |
| 49 | New Jersey | $78,220 |
| 50 | Alabama | $70,140 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $63,905 |
Expert opinions on the best states for attorney law clerks
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for attorney law clerks 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.
Search for attorney law clerk jobs
Updated January 8, 2025