Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a contract attorney
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Contract attorney opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for contract attorneys, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for contract attorneys.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for contract attorney jobs.
We figured that the best places for contract attorney jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that the Midwest is best for contract attorneys, and the Northeast is the worst. San Ramon, CA is the best city in the country for contract attorney jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for contract attorneys in 2026
1. California
Total contract attorney jobs: 593 Average annual salary: $112,899 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
2. New York
Total contract attorney jobs: 230 Average annual salary: $107,291 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
3. District of Columbia
Total contract attorney jobs: 160 Average annual salary: $103,928 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 6.71
4. Massachusetts
Total contract attorney jobs: 147 Average annual salary: $94,199 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
5. Maryland
Total contract attorney jobs: 119 Average annual salary: $87,993 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
6. Connecticut
Total contract attorney jobs: 36 Average annual salary: $91,285 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
7. New Mexico
Total contract attorney jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $89,836 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
8. Illinois
Total contract attorney jobs: 191 Average annual salary: $79,231 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
9. Texas
Total contract attorney jobs: 313 Average annual salary: $78,231 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
10. Colorado
Total contract attorney jobs: 102 Average annual salary: $77,424 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
Contract attorney jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a contract attorney
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a contract attorney
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $112,899 | $71,000 | 39,536,653 | 593 |
| 2 | New York | $107,291 | $65,000 | 19,849,399 | 230 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $103,928 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 160 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $94,199 | $56,000 | 6,859,819 | 147 |
| 5 | Maryland | $87,993 | $52,000 | 6,052,177 | 119 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $91,285 | $54,000 | 3,588,184 | 36 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $89,836 | $55,000 | 2,088,070 | 19 |
| 8 | Illinois | $79,231 | $48,000 | 12,802,023 | 191 |
| 9 | Texas | $78,231 | $48,000 | 28,304,596 | 313 |
| 10 | Colorado | $77,424 | $48,000 | 5,607,154 | 102 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $84,356 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 14 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $84,512 | $50,000 | 1,059,639 | 8 |
| 13 | Utah | $74,766 | $46,000 | 3,101,833 | 52 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $83,161 | $53,000 | 755,393 | 6 |
| 15 | Oregon | $80,282 | $50,000 | 4,142,776 | 42 |
| 16 | Vermont | $85,130 | $50,000 | 623,657 | 5 |
| 17 | Virginia | $77,170 | $46,000 | 8,470,020 | 148 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $84,875 | $52,000 | 2,984,100 | 7 |
| 19 | Maine | $81,435 | $48,000 | 1,335,907 | 9 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $71,402 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 113 |
| 21 | Florida | $69,186 | $42,000 | 20,984,400 | 331 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $75,906 | $45,000 | 9,005,644 | 100 |
| 23 | Nevada | $76,434 | $47,000 | 2,998,039 | 16 |
| 24 | Arizona | $69,933 | $43,000 | 7,016,270 | 91 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $69,295 | $42,000 | 4,684,333 | 41 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $73,214 | $43,000 | 12,805,537 | 101 |
| 27 | Washington | $71,763 | $44,000 | 7,405,743 | 94 |
| 28 | Montana | $66,138 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 19 |
| 29 | Georgia | $68,270 | $41,000 | 10,429,379 | 121 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $62,929 | $38,000 | 10,273,419 | 154 |
| 31 | Delaware | $71,859 | $42,000 | 961,939 | 10 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $69,691 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 33 | Alaska | $69,232 | $47,000 | 739,795 | 8 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $68,671 | $42,000 | 4,454,189 | 22 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $66,358 | $40,000 | 1,815,857 | 8 |
| 36 | Idaho | $60,902 | $37,000 | 1,716,943 | 20 |
| 37 | Michigan | $61,173 | $37,000 | 9,962,311 | 72 |
| 38 | Alabama | $60,310 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 43 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $60,236 | $37,000 | 5,795,483 | 55 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $52,405 | $32,000 | 579,315 | 28 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $60,022 | $37,000 | 1,920,076 | 23 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $59,139 | $36,000 | 6,715,984 | 56 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $61,080 | $38,000 | 869,666 | 4 |
| 44 | Kansas | $55,723 | $34,000 | 2,913,123 | 37 |
| 45 | Ohio | $57,205 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 67 |
| 46 | Missouri | $53,335 | $33,000 | 6,113,532 | 66 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $59,139 | $36,000 | 3,930,864 | 20 |
| 48 | Iowa | $57,372 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 20 |
| 49 | Indiana | $51,425 | $31,000 | 6,666,818 | 55 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $51,660 | $31,000 | 5,024,369 | 38 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $49,910 | $31,000 | 3,004,279 | 13 |
Highest paying states for contract attorneys
| Rank | State | Avg. Contract Attorney Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $112,899 |
| 2 | New York | $107,291 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $103,928 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $94,199 |
| 5 | Maryland | $87,993 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $91,285 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $89,836 |
| 8 | Illinois | $79,231 |
| 9 | Texas | $78,231 |
| 10 | Colorado | $77,424 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $84,356 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $84,512 |
| 13 | Utah | $74,766 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $83,161 |
| 15 | Oregon | $80,282 |
| 16 | Vermont | $85,130 |
| 17 | Virginia | $77,170 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $84,875 |
| 19 | Maine | $81,435 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $71,402 |
| 21 | Florida | $69,186 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $75,906 |
| 23 | Nevada | $76,434 |
| 24 | Arizona | $69,933 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $69,295 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $73,214 |
| 27 | Washington | $71,763 |
| 28 | Montana | $66,138 |
| 29 | Georgia | $68,270 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $62,929 |
| 31 | Delaware | $71,859 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $69,691 |
| 33 | Alaska | $69,232 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $68,671 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $66,358 |
| 36 | Idaho | $60,902 |
| 37 | Michigan | $61,173 |
| 38 | Alabama | $60,310 |
| 39 | Wisconsin | $60,236 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $52,405 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $60,022 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $59,139 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $61,080 |
| 44 | Kansas | $55,723 |
| 45 | Ohio | $57,205 |
| 46 | Missouri | $53,335 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $59,139 |
| 48 | Iowa | $57,372 |
| 49 | Indiana | $51,425 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $51,660 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $49,910 |
Search for contract attorney jobs
Updated January 8, 2025