Intellectual property lawyer demographics and statistics in the US
On this page
Intellectual property lawyer demographics by:
Intellectual property lawyer gender statistics
33.5% of intellectual property lawyers are women and 66.5% of intellectual property lawyers are men.
- Male, 66.5%
- Female, 33.5%
Intellectual property lawyer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 66.5% |
| Female | 33.5% |
Intellectual property lawyer gender pay gap
Women earn 92¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$67,650
Female income
$62,021
Intellectual property lawyer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in intellectual property lawyer positions over time. Currently, 33.5% of intellectual property lawyers are female.
Intellectual property lawyer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 72.54% | 27.46% |
| 2011 | 71.88% | 28.12% |
| 2012 | 71.73% | 28.27% |
| 2013 | 71.21% | 28.79% |
| 2014 | 71.13% | 28.87% |
| 2015 | 68.86% | 31.14% |
| 2016 | 68.77% | 31.23% |
| 2017 | 68.87% | 31.13% |
| 2018 | 69.22% | 30.78% |
| 2019 | 68.59% | 31.41% |
| 2020 | 66.92% | 33.08% |
| 2021 | 66.54% | 33.46% |
Intellectual property lawyer related jobs gender ratio
We compared intellectual property 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% |
| Intellectual Property Lawyer | 67% | 33% |
| Patent Analyst | 72% | 28% |
| Patent Attorney | 79% | 21% |
| Patent Examiner | 81% | 19% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Intellectual property lawyer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among intellectual property lawyers is White, which makes up 75.8% of all intellectual property lawyers. Comparatively, 7.7% of intellectual property lawyers are Hispanic or Latino and 6.3% of intellectual property lawyers are Asian.
- White, 75.8%
- Hispanic or Latino, 7.7%
- Asian, 6.3%
- Black or African American, 5.5%
- Unknown, 4.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
Intellectual property lawyer race
| Intellectual property lawyer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 75.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.7% |
| Asian | 6.3% |
| Black or African American | 5.5% |
| Unknown | 4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
Intellectual property lawyer race and ethnicity over time
See how intellectual property lawyer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Intellectual property lawyer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 82.42% | 5.08% | 4.74% | 5.93% |
| 2011 | 82.19% | 5.40% | 4.90% | 5.77% |
| 2012 | 82.27% | 5.02% | 5.07% | 5.96% |
| 2013 | 82.02% | 5.11% | 5.11% | 5.69% |
| 2014 | 81.36% | 5.61% | 5.34% | 5.83% |
| 2015 | 81.27% | 5.27% | 5.43% | 6.25% |
| 2016 | 80.70% | 5.33% | 5.58% | 6.54% |
| 2017 | 80.73% | 5.30% | 5.55% | 6.31% |
| 2018 | 80.09% | 5.48% | 5.48% | 6.92% |
| 2019 | 79.62% | 5.46% | 5.86% | 6.98% |
| 2020 | 77.10% | 5.36% | 6.17% | 7.13% |
| 2021 | 75.76% | 5.50% | 6.33% | 7.72% |
Intellectual property lawyer wage gap by race
According to our data, asian intellectual property lawyers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american intellectual property lawyers have the lowest average salary at $63,307.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $66,844 |
| White | $69,566 |
| Black or African American | $63,307 |
| Asian | $74,241 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $64,832 |
Average intellectual property lawyer age
See how the average age of intellectual property lawyers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Intellectual property 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 |
Intellectual property lawyer age breakdown
The average age of intellectual property lawyers is 40+ years years old, representing 67% of the intellectual property lawyer population.
Intellectual property lawyer age breakdown
| Intellectual Property Lawyer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 67% |
| 30-40 years | 29% |
| 20-30 years | 4% |
Intellectual property lawyer educational attainment
The most common degree for intellectual property lawyers is bachelor's degree, with 46% of intellectual property lawyers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 42% and doctoral degree degree at 10%.
- Bachelor's, 46%
- Doctorate, 42%
- Master's, 10%
- Associate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 0%
Intellectual property lawyers by degree level
| Intellectual property lawyer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 46% |
| Doctorate | 42% |
| Master's | 10% |
| Associate | 2% |
| Other Degrees | 0% |
Intellectual property lawyer jobs you might like
Intellectual property lawyer employment statistics
Most intellectual property lawyers work for a private in the professional industry.
Company size where intellectual property lawyers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where intellectual property lawyers work.
Intellectual property lawyer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 7% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 18% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 29% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 14% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 14% |
| > 10,000 employees | 18% |
Intellectual property lawyer jobs by company type
Employees with the intellectual property lawyer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most intellectual property lawyers prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Intellectual property lawyer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 7% |
| Public | 21% |
| Private | 71% |
Intellectual property lawyer jobs by industry
The most common industries for intellectual property lawyers are professional, finance and health care.
Intellectual property lawyer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Professional | 39% |
| Finance | 6% |
| Start-up | 6% |
| Health Care | 6% |
| Fortune 500 | 6% |
| Education | 6% |
| Technology | 6% |
| Retail | 3% |
| Media | 3% |
| Internet | 3% |
| Manufacturing | 3% |
| Construction | 3% |
| Hospitality | 3% |
| Telecommunication | 3% |
Intellectual property lawyer turnover and employment statistics
Intellectual property lawyer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for intellectual property lawyers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Intellectual property lawyer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Intellectual property 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 intellectual property lawyer tenure
The average intellectual property lawyer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 339 intellectual property lawyers resumes in Zippia's database.
Intellectual property lawyer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 12% |
| 1-2 years | 35% |
| 3-4 years | 18% |
| 5-7 years | 14% |
| 8-10 years | 10% |
| 11+ years | 12% |
Intellectual property lawyer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of intellectual property 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Law Clerk | 5.54% | 75,014 |
| Litigation Legal Assistant | 6.63% | 9,152 |
| Title Examiner | 8.14% | 2,994 |
| Court Reporter | 9.12% | 2,329 |
| Intellectual Property Lawyer | 10.48% | - |
| Legislative Aide | 14.16% | 40,281 |
Similar intellectual property lawyer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Law Clerk | 5.54% | 75,014 |
| Litigation Legal Assistant | 6.63% | 9,152 |
| Title Examiner | 8.14% | 2,994 |
| Court Reporter | 9.12% | 2,329 |
| Legislative Aide | 14.16% | 40,281 |
Foreign languages spoken by intellectual property lawyers
The most common foreign language among intellectual property lawyers is French at 16.3%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Japanese at 14.0% and Spanish is the third-most popular at 14.0%.
- French, 16.3%
- Japanese, 14.0%
- Spanish, 14.0%
- Chinese, 11.6%
- Mandarin, 9.3%
- Other, 34.8%
Intellectual property lawyer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| French | 16.3% |
| Japanese | 14.0% |
| Spanish | 14.0% |
| Chinese | 11.6% |
| Mandarin | 9.3% |
| Other | 34.8% |
