Criminal defense lawyer demographics and statistics in the US
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Criminal defense lawyer demographics by:
Criminal defense lawyer gender statistics
50.5% of criminal defense lawyers are women and 49.5% of criminal defense lawyers are men.
- Female, 50.5%
- Male, 49.5%
Criminal defense lawyer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 50.5% |
| Male | 49.5% |
Criminal defense lawyer gender pay gap
Women earn 94¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$52,607
Female income
$49,256
Criminal defense lawyer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in criminal defense lawyer positions over time. Currently, 50.5% of criminal defense lawyers are female.
Criminal defense lawyer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 56.57% | 43.43% |
| 2011 | 55.76% | 44.24% |
| 2012 | 55.57% | 44.43% |
| 2013 | 54.94% | 45.06% |
| 2014 | 54.85% | 45.15% |
| 2015 | 52.15% | 47.85% |
| 2016 | 52.06% | 47.94% |
| 2017 | 52.17% | 47.83% |
| 2018 | 52.57% | 47.43% |
| 2019 | 51.84% | 48.16% |
| 2020 | 49.93% | 50.07% |
| 2021 | 49.50% | 50.50% |
Criminal defense lawyer related jobs gender ratio
We compared criminal defense lawyers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, patent examiner and patent attorney have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Veteran Appeals Reviewer | 17% | 83% |
| Guardian Ad Litem | 18% | 82% |
| Surrogate | 18% | 82% |
| Criminal Defense Lawyer | 50% | 51% |
| Patent Analyst | 72% | 28% |
| Patent Attorney | 79% | 21% |
| Patent Examiner | 81% | 19% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Criminal defense lawyer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among criminal defense lawyers is White, which makes up 75.5% of all criminal defense lawyers. Comparatively, 7.8% of criminal defense lawyers are Hispanic or Latino and 6.4% of criminal defense lawyers are Asian.
- White, 75.5%
- Hispanic or Latino, 7.8%
- Asian, 6.4%
- Black or African American, 5.6%
- Unknown, 4.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
Criminal defense lawyer race
| Criminal defense lawyer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 75.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.8% |
| Asian | 6.4% |
| Black or African American | 5.6% |
| Unknown | 4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
Criminal defense lawyer race and ethnicity over time
See how criminal defense lawyer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Criminal defense lawyer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 82.16% | 5.17% | 4.82% | 6.02% |
| 2011 | 81.93% | 5.48% | 4.98% | 5.86% |
| 2012 | 82.01% | 5.11% | 5.15% | 6.04% |
| 2013 | 81.76% | 5.19% | 5.18% | 5.78% |
| 2014 | 81.10% | 5.69% | 5.41% | 5.92% |
| 2015 | 81.01% | 5.35% | 5.50% | 6.34% |
| 2016 | 80.44% | 5.41% | 5.66% | 6.62% |
| 2017 | 80.47% | 5.39% | 5.63% | 6.40% |
| 2018 | 79.83% | 5.56% | 5.56% | 7.01% |
| 2019 | 79.36% | 5.54% | 5.94% | 7.07% |
| 2020 | 76.84% | 5.45% | 6.25% | 7.22% |
| 2021 | 75.50% | 5.58% | 6.41% | 7.81% |
Criminal defense lawyer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian criminal defense lawyers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american criminal defense lawyers have the lowest average salary at $50,027.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $52,131 |
| White | $53,732 |
| Black or African American | $50,027 |
| Asian | $56,446 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $50,938 |
Average criminal defense lawyer age
See how the average age of criminal defense lawyers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Criminal defense lawyer age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Black or African American | 46 | 44 |
| Unknown | 46 | 40 |
| Asian | 41 | 40.5 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 43 | 39 |
| White | 48 | 44 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 51 | 50 |
Criminal defense lawyer age breakdown
The average age of criminal defense lawyers is 40+ years years old, representing 67% of the criminal defense lawyer population.
Criminal defense lawyer age breakdown
| Criminal Defense Lawyer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 67% |
| 30-40 years | 29% |
| 20-30 years | 4% |
Criminal defense lawyer educational attainment
The most common degree for criminal defense lawyers is bachelor's degree, with 41% of criminal defense lawyers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 28% and doctoral degree degree at 16%.
- Bachelor's, 41%
- Doctorate, 28%
- Associate, 16%
- Master's, 8%
- Other Degrees, 7%
Criminal defense lawyers by degree level
| Criminal defense lawyer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 41% |
| Doctorate | 28% |
| Associate | 16% |
| Master's | 8% |
| Other Degrees | 7% |
Criminal defense lawyer jobs you might like
Criminal defense lawyer employment statistics
Company size where criminal defense lawyers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where criminal defense lawyers work.
Criminal defense lawyer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 14% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 23% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 27% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 14% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 14% |
| > 10,000 employees | 9% |
Criminal defense lawyer jobs by company type
Employees with the criminal defense lawyer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most criminal defense lawyers prefer to work at private companies over government companies.
Criminal defense lawyer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Public | 11% |
| Private | 67% |
| Government | 22% |
Criminal defense lawyer turnover and employment statistics
Criminal defense lawyer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for criminal defense lawyers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Criminal defense lawyer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Criminal defense lawyer unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 2.19% |
| 2011 | 1.85% |
| 2012 | 1.64% |
| 2013 | 1.90% |
| 2014 | 1.57% |
| 2015 | 1.34% |
| 2016 | 1.09% |
| 2017 | 1.17% |
| 2018 | 1.10% |
| 2019 | 1.16% |
| 2020 | 1.33% |
| 2021 | 1.55% |
Average criminal defense lawyer tenure
The average criminal defense lawyer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 229 criminal defense lawyers resumes in Zippia's database.
Criminal defense lawyer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 20% |
| 1-2 years | 39% |
| 3-4 years | 14% |
| 5-7 years | 12% |
| 8-10 years | 4% |
| 11+ years | 11% |
Criminal defense lawyer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of criminal defense lawyers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Judicial Law Clerk | 5.54% | 67,469 |
| Litigation Paralegal | 6.63% | 5,132 |
| Title Specialist | 8.14% | 19,349 |
| Court Reporter | 9.12% | 2,329 |
| Criminal Defense Lawyer | 10.48% | - |
| Legislative Assistant | 14.16% | 188 |
Similar criminal defense lawyer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Judicial Law Clerk | 5.54% | 67,469 |
| Litigation Paralegal | 6.63% | 5,132 |
| Title Specialist | 8.14% | 19,349 |
| Court Reporter | 9.12% | 2,329 |
| Legislative Assistant | 14.16% | 188 |
Foreign languages spoken by criminal defense lawyers
The most common foreign language among criminal defense lawyers is Spanish at 31.3%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is German at 12.5% and French is the third-most popular at 12.5%.
- Spanish, 31.3%
- German, 12.5%
- French, 12.5%
- Russian, 12.5%
- Arabic, 12.5%
- Other, 18.7%
Criminal defense lawyer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 31.3% |
| German | 12.5% |
| French | 12.5% |
| Russian | 12.5% |
| Arabic | 12.5% |
| Other | 18.7% |