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Best states for a criminal justice lawyer
Quoted expert
Maria Comas
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for criminal justice lawyers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for criminal justice lawyer jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Although there are abundant criminal justice lawyer jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. New York is the best state in the country for criminal justice lawyer jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for criminal justice lawyers. New York is the best state for criminal justice lawyers, where the median salary is $52,390.New York is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for criminal justice lawyers.
10 best states for criminal justice lawyers in 2025
1. New York
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 50 Average annual salary: $52,390 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 2.122. Alaska
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $54,323 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.33. California
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 39 Average annual salary: $62,480 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 0.724. Nevada
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $44,776 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 1.35. District of Columbia
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $49,450 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 4.216. Texas
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 28 Average annual salary: $45,484 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Location Quotient: 0.757. Arizona
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $46,363 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 0.568. Massachusetts
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 34 Average annual salary: $43,695 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Location Quotient: 2.019. Virginia
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $47,111 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 0.6910. West Virginia
Total criminal justice lawyer jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $39,617 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
Criminal justice lawyer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a criminal justice lawyer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a criminal justice lawyer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $52,390 | $31,000 | 19,849,399 | 50 |
| 2 | Alaska | $54,323 | $35,000 | 739,795 | 2 |
| 3 | California | $62,480 | $38,000 | 39,536,653 | 39 |
| 4 | Nevada | $44,776 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 5 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $49,450 | $30,000 | 693,972 | 13 |
| 6 | Texas | $45,484 | $28,000 | 28,304,596 | 28 |
| 7 | Arizona | $46,363 | $29,000 | 7,016,270 | 6 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $43,695 | $25,000 | 6,859,819 | 34 |
| 9 | Virginia | $47,111 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 12 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $39,617 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 4 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $41,716 | $25,000 | 12,805,537 | 18 |
| 12 | Florida | $41,617 | $26,000 | 20,984,400 | 30 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $43,137 | $28,000 | 5,576,606 | 10 |
| 14 | Delaware | $41,900 | $25,000 | 961,939 | 3 |
| 15 | Oregon | $41,369 | $25,000 | 4,142,776 | 19 |
| 16 | Ohio | $39,322 | $25,000 | 11,658,609 | 18 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $46,811 | $27,000 | 3,588,184 | 1 |
| 18 | Maryland | $41,921 | $25,000 | 6,052,177 | 57 |
| 19 | Alabama | $38,938 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 9 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $39,858 | $23,000 | 1,059,639 | 3 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $43,015 | $25,000 | 9,005,644 | 11 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $39,823 | $24,000 | 4,684,333 | 5 |
| 23 | Utah | $41,472 | $26,000 | 3,101,833 | 1 |
| 24 | Colorado | $39,459 | $25,000 | 5,607,154 | 24 |
| 25 | Washington | $43,497 | $26,000 | 7,405,743 | 6 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $37,770 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 10 |
| 27 | Illinois | $42,230 | $27,000 | 12,802,023 | 9 |
| 28 | Georgia | $39,626 | $25,000 | 10,429,379 | 12 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $39,805 | $27,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 30 | Michigan | $38,678 | $24,000 | 9,962,311 | 10 |
| 31 | Indiana | $37,649 | $24,000 | 6,666,818 | 10 |
| 32 | Missouri | $38,288 | $25,000 | 6,113,532 | 8 |
| 33 | Vermont | $39,530 | $23,000 | 623,657 | 1 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $37,662 | $24,000 | 5,795,483 | 5 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $36,717 | $23,000 | 3,930,864 | 4 |
| 36 | Iowa | $37,134 | $24,000 | 3,145,711 | 3 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $35,945 | $22,000 | 10,273,419 | 18 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $39,649 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 1 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $36,780 | $23,000 | 2,088,070 | 2 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | $34,923 | $20,000 | 1,342,795 | 3 |
| 41 | Montana | $34,136 | $22,000 | 1,050,493 | 6 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $36,962 | $24,000 | 1,920,076 | 1 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $35,541 | $23,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $36,145 | $23,000 | 5,024,369 | 4 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $36,032 | $23,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $34,200 | $22,000 | 4,454,189 | 4 |
| 47 | Maine | $32,116 | $18,000 | 1,335,907 | 2 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $34,353 | $21,000 | 2,984,100 | 2 |
| 49 | Kansas | $35,001 | $22,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 50 | Idaho | $33,986 | $21,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $27,195 | $17,000 | 3,004,279 | 2 |
Highest paying states for criminal justice lawyers
| Rank | State | Avg. Criminal Justice Lawyer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $52,390 |
| 2 | Alaska | $54,323 |
| 3 | California | $62,480 |
| 4 | Nevada | $44,776 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $49,450 |
| 6 | Texas | $45,484 |
| 7 | Arizona | $46,363 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $43,695 |
| 9 | Virginia | $47,111 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $39,617 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $41,716 |
| 12 | Florida | $41,617 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $43,137 |
| 14 | Delaware | $41,900 |
| 15 | Oregon | $41,369 |
| 16 | Ohio | $39,322 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $46,811 |
| 18 | Maryland | $41,921 |
| 19 | Alabama | $38,938 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $39,858 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $43,015 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $39,823 |
| 23 | Utah | $41,472 |
| 24 | Colorado | $39,459 |
| 25 | Washington | $43,497 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $37,770 |
| 27 | Illinois | $42,230 |
| 28 | Georgia | $39,626 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $39,805 |
| 30 | Michigan | $38,678 |
| 31 | Indiana | $37,649 |
| 32 | Missouri | $38,288 |
| 33 | Vermont | $39,530 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $37,662 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $36,717 |
| 36 | Iowa | $37,134 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $35,945 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $39,649 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $36,780 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | $34,923 |
| 41 | Montana | $34,136 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $36,962 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $35,541 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $36,145 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $36,032 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $34,200 |
| 47 | Maine | $32,116 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $34,353 |
| 49 | Kansas | $35,001 |
| 50 | Idaho | $33,986 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $27,195 |
Expert opinions on the best states for criminal justice lawyers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for criminal justice lawyers to find work opportunities?
Maria Comas
Director of Career Services, Duquesne University
Lawyers assist individuals, small businesses, large corporations, and governments with a variety of questions, issues, and policies, in geographic areas, ranging from large cities to small towns. For that reason, opportunities are available to law graduates in every state. However, depending on the economy and top industries in a particular area, the types of opportunities may vary. Lawyers are always needed to serve in rural and underserved populations, in addition to more populated cities and towns.
Criminal justice lawyer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025