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Best states for an immigration lawyer
Quoted expert
Francesca Laguardia Ph.D.
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for immigration lawyers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for immigration 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.In fact, our research shows that New York is the best state for immigration lawyers in America. The best city in America for immigration lawyers with the highest pay is New York, NY.
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 immigration lawyers.We found that the West is best for immigration lawyers, and the Northeast is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for immigration lawyer jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.
10 best states for immigration lawyers in 2025
1. New York
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 26 Average annual salary: $115,933 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $196,000 Location Quotient: 2.372. District of Columbia
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $105,242 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 3.493. Massachusetts
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $95,408 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.534. Vermont
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $93,678 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 05. Virginia
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $75,754 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.496. New Hampshire
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $80,644 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 0.677. Connecticut
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $88,591 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 08. Rhode Island
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 0 Average annual salary: $85,295 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 09. New Jersey
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $79,447 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 0.7410. Pennsylvania
Total immigration lawyer jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $71,949 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
Immigration lawyer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an immigration lawyer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an immigration lawyer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $115,933 | $68,000 | 19,849,399 | 26 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $105,242 | $60,000 | 693,972 | 5 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $95,408 | $54,000 | 6,859,819 | 12 |
| 4 | Vermont | $93,678 | $53,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 5 | Virginia | $75,754 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 12 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $80,644 | $45,000 | 1,342,795 | 1 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $88,591 | $50,000 | 3,588,184 | 0 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $85,295 | $48,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $79,447 | $44,000 | 9,005,644 | 5 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $71,949 | $40,000 | 12,805,537 | 8 |
| 11 | Delaware | $79,551 | $44,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 12 | Oregon | $69,258 | $37,000 | 4,142,776 | 14 |
| 13 | Michigan | $72,050 | $39,000 | 9,962,311 | 4 |
| 14 | Texas | $66,429 | $39,000 | 28,304,596 | 33 |
| 15 | California | $74,836 | $42,000 | 39,536,653 | 27 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $71,177 | $40,000 | 10,273,419 | 5 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $67,835 | $38,000 | 6,715,984 | 4 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $69,028 | $38,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 19 | Illinois | $67,527 | $37,000 | 12,802,023 | 13 |
| 20 | Maryland | $70,485 | $39,000 | 6,052,177 | 6 |
| 21 | Arizona | $66,215 | $38,000 | 7,016,270 | 4 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $63,577 | $35,000 | 5,576,606 | 8 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $66,281 | $36,000 | 5,795,483 | 0 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $61,576 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 3 |
| 25 | Ohio | $62,916 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 3 |
| 26 | Alaska | $65,905 | $37,000 | 739,795 | 0 |
| 27 | Iowa | $62,814 | $34,000 | 3,145,711 | 0 |
| 28 | Utah | $62,411 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $61,321 | $33,000 | 755,393 | 0 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $58,553 | $33,000 | 5,024,369 | 3 |
| 31 | Alabama | $58,773 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 0 |
| 32 | Colorado | $58,523 | $32,000 | 5,607,154 | 7 |
| 33 | Georgia | $56,687 | $32,000 | 10,429,379 | 13 |
| 34 | Washington | $61,947 | $32,000 | 7,405,743 | 3 |
| 35 | Maine | $58,647 | $32,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 36 | Florida | $55,774 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 12 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $57,454 | $31,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $56,296 | $31,000 | 4,454,189 | 0 |
| 39 | Nevada | $52,594 | $29,000 | 2,998,039 | 2 |
| 40 | Indiana | $54,328 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 1 |
| 41 | Montana | $48,920 | $26,000 | 1,050,493 | 4 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $45,552 | $38,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $53,550 | $29,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 44 | Kansas | $53,859 | $30,000 | 2,913,123 | 0 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $52,957 | $30,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $52,693 | $30,000 | 2,088,070 | 1 |
| 47 | Idaho | $53,458 | $28,000 | 1,716,943 | 0 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $51,720 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 0 |
| 49 | Missouri | $46,078 | $25,000 | 6,113,532 | 5 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $50,435 | $27,000 | 579,315 | 0 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $49,189 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 0 |
Highest paying states for immigration lawyers
| Rank | State | Avg. Immigration Lawyer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $115,933 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $105,242 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $95,408 |
| 4 | Vermont | $93,678 |
| 5 | Virginia | $75,754 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $80,644 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $88,591 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $85,295 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $79,447 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $71,949 |
| 11 | Delaware | $79,551 |
| 12 | Oregon | $69,258 |
| 13 | Michigan | $72,050 |
| 14 | Texas | $66,429 |
| 15 | California | $74,836 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $71,177 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $67,835 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $69,028 |
| 19 | Illinois | $67,527 |
| 20 | Maryland | $70,485 |
| 21 | Arizona | $66,215 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $63,577 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $66,281 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $61,576 |
| 25 | Ohio | $62,916 |
| 26 | Alaska | $65,905 |
| 27 | Iowa | $62,814 |
| 28 | Utah | $62,411 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $61,321 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $58,553 |
| 31 | Alabama | $58,773 |
| 32 | Colorado | $58,523 |
| 33 | Georgia | $56,687 |
| 34 | Washington | $61,947 |
| 35 | Maine | $58,647 |
| 36 | Florida | $55,774 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $57,454 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $56,296 |
| 39 | Nevada | $52,594 |
| 40 | Indiana | $54,328 |
| 41 | Montana | $48,920 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $45,552 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $53,550 |
| 44 | Kansas | $53,859 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $52,957 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $52,693 |
| 47 | Idaho | $53,458 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $51,720 |
| 49 | Missouri | $46,078 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $50,435 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $49,189 |
Expert opinions on the best states for immigration lawyers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for immigration lawyers to find work opportunities?
Francesca Laguardia Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Montclair State University
The legal field is universal. Major firms may tend to gravitate to bigger cities, but there is legal work everywhere.
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Updated January 8, 2025