Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a general counsel
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for general counsels? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for general counsel jobs.In fact, our research shows that California is the best state for general counsels in America. The best city in America for general counsels with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.
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 general counsels.We found that the Midwest is best for general counsels, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for general counsel jobs, where as California is the best state in the country.
10 best states for general counsels in 2026
1. California
Total general counsel jobs: 4,595 Average annual salary: $146,919 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $227,000 Location Quotient: 3.03
2. New York
Total general counsel jobs: 1,625 Average annual salary: $136,511 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $213,000 Location Quotient: 2.44
3. District of Columbia
Total general counsel jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $133,331 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000 Location Quotient: 3.19
4. Connecticut
Total general counsel jobs: 381 Average annual salary: $126,253 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $200,000 Location Quotient: 2.22
5. North Dakota
Total general counsel jobs: 105 Average annual salary: $118,307 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 2.18
6. Colorado
Total general counsel jobs: 99 Average annual salary: $129,744 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $205,000 Location Quotient: 0.32
7. Washington
Total general counsel jobs: 854 Average annual salary: $112,471 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $183,000 Location Quotient: 2.26
8. Virginia
Total general counsel jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $120,379 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $193,000 Location Quotient: 0.23
9. Rhode Island
Total general counsel jobs: 138 Average annual salary: $105,846 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 2.19
10. New Hampshire
Total general counsel jobs: 186 Average annual salary: $107,047 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 2.05
General counsel jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a general counsel
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a general counsel
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $146,919 | $94,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,595 |
| 2 | New York | $136,511 | $87,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,625 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $133,331 | $84,000 | 693,972 | 278 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $126,253 | $79,000 | 3,588,184 | 381 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $118,307 | $73,000 | 755,393 | 105 |
| 6 | Colorado | $129,744 | $81,000 | 5,607,154 | 99 |
| 7 | Washington | $112,471 | $68,000 | 7,405,743 | 854 |
| 8 | Virginia | $120,379 | $74,000 | 8,470,020 | 114 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $105,846 | $65,000 | 1,059,639 | 138 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $107,047 | $65,000 | 1,342,795 | 186 |
| 11 | Vermont | $109,229 | $67,000 | 623,657 | 48 |
| 12 | Maine | $103,791 | $63,000 | 1,335,907 | 152 |
| 13 | Illinois | $110,198 | $67,000 | 12,802,023 | 165 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $97,019 | $58,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,572 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $116,303 | $71,000 | 2,088,070 | 8 |
| 16 | Maryland | $118,154 | $73,000 | 6,052,177 | 53 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $105,194 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,008 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $112,636 | $68,000 | 2,984,100 | 3 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $100,833 | $61,000 | 4,454,189 | 18 |
| 20 | Delaware | $95,213 | $57,000 | 961,939 | 171 |
| 21 | Utah | $97,362 | $59,000 | 3,101,833 | 38 |
| 22 | Oregon | $95,723 | $57,000 | 4,142,776 | 478 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $98,408 | $60,000 | 9,005,644 | 797 |
| 24 | Texas | $95,495 | $56,000 | 28,304,596 | 255 |
| 25 | Nevada | $98,610 | $59,000 | 2,998,039 | 13 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $96,556 | $58,000 | 5,576,606 | 82 |
| 27 | Michigan | $95,494 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 70 |
| 28 | Georgia | $95,819 | $57,000 | 10,429,379 | 121 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $89,450 | $54,000 | 869,666 | 80 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $88,561 | $54,000 | 1,920,076 | 227 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $90,972 | $54,000 | 10,273,419 | 121 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $94,920 | $57,000 | 1,815,857 | 1 |
| 33 | Iowa | $93,600 | $57,000 | 3,145,711 | 8 |
| 34 | Arizona | $88,623 | $52,000 | 7,016,270 | 69 |
| 35 | Florida | $87,462 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 235 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $88,602 | $51,000 | 4,684,333 | 21 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $87,427 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 36 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $86,832 | $52,000 | 5,795,483 | 40 |
| 39 | Idaho | $76,325 | $46,000 | 1,716,943 | 204 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $85,286 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 32 |
| 41 | Montana | $86,934 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 9 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $91,291 | $58,000 | 1,427,538 | 4 |
| 43 | Ohio | $81,525 | $49,000 | 11,658,609 | 82 |
| 44 | Alaska | $87,995 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 2 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $72,383 | $44,000 | 579,315 | 22 |
| 46 | Alabama | $82,592 | $49,000 | 4,874,747 | 16 |
| 47 | Missouri | $78,058 | $47,000 | 6,113,532 | 60 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $82,733 | $49,000 | 3,930,864 | 12 |
| 49 | Kansas | $80,308 | $48,000 | 2,913,123 | 16 |
| 50 | Indiana | $73,711 | $44,000 | 6,666,818 | 53 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $69,280 | $41,000 | 3,004,279 | 28 |
Highest paying states for general counsels
| Rank | State | Avg. General Counsel Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $146,919 |
| 2 | New York | $136,511 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $133,331 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $126,253 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $118,307 |
| 6 | Colorado | $129,744 |
| 7 | Washington | $112,471 |
| 8 | Virginia | $120,379 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $105,846 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $107,047 |
| 11 | Vermont | $109,229 |
| 12 | Maine | $103,791 |
| 13 | Illinois | $110,198 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $97,019 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $116,303 |
| 16 | Maryland | $118,154 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $105,194 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $112,636 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $100,833 |
| 20 | Delaware | $95,213 |
| 21 | Utah | $97,362 |
| 22 | Oregon | $95,723 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $98,408 |
| 24 | Texas | $95,495 |
| 25 | Nevada | $98,610 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $96,556 |
| 27 | Michigan | $95,494 |
| 28 | Georgia | $95,819 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $89,450 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $88,561 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $90,972 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $94,920 |
| 33 | Iowa | $93,600 |
| 34 | Arizona | $88,623 |
| 35 | Florida | $87,462 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $88,602 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $87,427 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $86,832 |
| 39 | Idaho | $76,325 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $85,286 |
| 41 | Montana | $86,934 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $91,291 |
| 43 | Ohio | $81,525 |
| 44 | Alaska | $87,995 |
| 45 | Wyoming | $72,383 |
| 46 | Alabama | $82,592 |
| 47 | Missouri | $78,058 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $82,733 |
| 49 | Kansas | $80,308 |
| 50 | Indiana | $73,711 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $69,280 |
Search for general counsel jobs
Updated January 8, 2025