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Intellectual property lawyer salary
Average intellectual property lawyer salary
$82,730
The average salary for an Intellectual Property Lawyer stands at approximately $82,730 annually, translating to about $40 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on several factors including geographic location, years of experience, and area of specialization.
In states like California and New York, salaries tend to be higher due to the demand for legal expertise in technology and entertainment sectors. For instance, lawyers with 5-10 years of experience typically earn around $95,000, while those with over 10 years can see salaries exceeding $120,000.
If you’re considering a career in this field, it’s crucial to research local markets and salary ranges. Job opportunities are available across various sectors, including corporate law, tech, and entertainment, offering diverse pathways for growth. Understanding these dynamics is essential for making informed career decisions.
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Where can an Intellectual Property Lawyer earn more?
Intellectual property lawyer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level intellectual property lawyer | $48,000 | $23.08 |
| Mid-level intellectual property lawyer | $57,900 | $27.86 |
| Senior-level intellectual property lawyer | $122,000 | $58.43 |
Intellectual property lawyer salary estimates from across the web
Average intellectual property lawyer salary by state
The average intellectual property lawyer salary in Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average intellectual property lawyer salary states are Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for intellectual property lawyers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $126,619 | $60.87 |
| 2 | New York | $126,128 | $60.64 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $138,719 | $66.69 |
| 4 | California | $98,606 | $47.41 |
| 5 | Maryland | $99,574 | $47.87 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $109,827 | $52.80 |
| 7 | Colorado | $90,329 | $43.43 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $101,641 | $48.87 |
| 9 | Virginia | $96,070 | $46.19 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $105,310 | $50.63 |
| 11 | Illinois | $92,182 | $44.32 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $97,471 | $46.86 |
| 13 | Vermont | $113,877 | $54.75 |
| 14 | Washington | $87,046 | $41.85 |
| 15 | Oregon | $85,913 | $41.30 |
| 16 | Tennessee | $83,133 | $39.97 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $86,881 | $41.77 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $80,029 | $38.48 |
| 19 | Arizona | $77,919 | $37.46 |
| 20 | Delaware | $96,214 | $46.26 |
| 21 | Michigan | $80,515 | $38.71 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $78,805 | $37.89 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $76,737 | $36.89 |
| 24 | Texas | $75,836 | $36.46 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $83,663 | $40.22 |
| 26 | Ohio | $75,675 | $36.38 |
| 27 | Iowa | $76,864 | $36.95 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $76,265 | $36.67 |
| 29 | Alaska | $85,113 | $40.92 |
| 30 | Florida | $70,751 | $34.01 |
| 31 | Utah | $72,755 | $34.98 |
| 32 | Georgia | $71,947 | $34.59 |
| 33 | Indiana | $65,840 | $31.65 |
| 34 | Maine | $73,309 | $35.24 |
| 35 | Nevada | $64,292 | $30.91 |
| 36 | Kansas | $65,412 | $31.45 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $61,637 | $29.63 |
| 38 | Alabama | $68,832 | $33.09 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $69,414 | $33.37 |
| 40 | Montana | $60,451 | $29.06 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $69,857 | $33.59 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $66,484 | $31.96 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $68,712 | $33.03 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $48,198 | $23.17 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $62,859 | $30.22 |
| 46 | Idaho | $64,526 | $31.02 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $63,674 | $30.61 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $62,459 | $30.03 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $59,010 | $28.37 |
| 50 | Missouri | $56,196 | $27.02 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $59,388 | $28.55 |
Highest paying cities for intellectual property lawyers
The highest-paying cities for intellectual property lawyers are Danvers, MA, Washington, DC, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danvers, MA | $147,742 | $71.03 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $131,240 | $63.10 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $130,019 | $62.51 |
| 4 | Hackensack, NJ | $112,381 | $54.03 |
| 5 | East Hartford, CT | $107,836 | $51.84 |
| 6 | Folsom, CA | $107,465 | $51.67 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $93,496 | $44.95 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | $90,694 | $43.60 |
| 9 | Hillsboro, OR | $86,223 | $41.45 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, PA | $81,296 | $39.08 |
| 11 | Milwaukee, WI | $80,189 | $38.55 |
| 12 | Saint Paul, MN | $78,980 | $37.97 |
| 13 | Scottsdale, AZ | $78,570 | $37.77 |
| 14 | Round Rock, TX | $75,736 | $36.41 |
| 15 | Asheville, NC | $73,445 | $35.31 |
| 16 | Portland, ME | $73,324 | $35.25 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $72,436 | $34.83 |
| 18 | Orlando, FL | $71,567 | $34.41 |
| 19 | Huntsville, AL | $71,214 | $34.24 |
| 20 | Fayetteville, AR | $64,021 | $30.78 |
Intellectual property lawyer salary details
An intellectual property lawyer's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $168,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an intellectual property lawyer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $168,000 | $14,000 | $81 |
| 75th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| Average | $82,730 | $6,894 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $56,000 | $4,667 | $27 |
| 10th Percentile | $40,000 | $3,333 | $19 |
Highest paying intellectual property lawyer jobs
The highest paying types of intellectual property lawyers are corporate counsel, associate counsel, and legal counsel.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Counsel | $142,515 | $11,876 | $68.52 | 14,913 |
| Staff Attorney | $110,028 | $9,169 | $52.90 | 75,402 |
| Attorney | $109,476 | $9,123 | $52.63 | 10,991 |
| Housing Counselor | $78,730 | $6,561 | $37.85 | 33,639 |
| Attorney At Law | $108,018 | $9,002 | $51.93 | 7,025 |
| Legal Counsel | $132,867 | $11,072 | $63.88 | 10,337 |
Top companies hiring intellectual property lawyers now:
Which companies pay intellectual property lawyers the most?
Intellectual property lawyer salaries at Seyfarth Shaw and Kenyon & Kenyon LLP are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average intellectual property lawyer salary at companies like Sullivan & Worcester and Intuitive Surgical are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seyfarth Shaw | $228,367 | $109.79 |
| 2 | Kenyon & Kenyon LLP | $207,065 | $99.55 |
| 3 | Sullivan & Worcester | $192,391 | $92.50 |
| 4 | Intuitive Surgical | $165,053 | $79.35 |
| 5 | Intel | $144,282 | $69.37 |
| 6 | GlobalFoundries | $140,418 | $67.51 |
| 7 | Harness Dickey | $137,032 | $65.88 |
| 8 | General Electric | $136,932 | $65.83 |
| 9 | Mars | $129,729 | $62.37 |
| 10 | Huntsman | $121,802 | $58.56 |
| 11 | Esri | $118,426 | $56.94 |
| 12 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $106,812 | $51.35 |
| 13 | Argonne National Laboratory | $105,740 | $50.84 |
| 14 | Sanofi US | $105,155 | $50.56 |
| 15 | REVOLUTION Medicines | $104,101 | $50.05 |
| 16 | Siemens | $100,504 | $48.32 |
| 17 | PeopleTec | $99,701 | $47.93 |
| 18 | Early Warning | $98,881 | $47.54 |
| 19 | 3M Company | $98,275 | $47.25 |
| 20 | Two Bulls | $89,315 | $42.94 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Intellectual property lawyer salary trends
The average intellectual property lawyer salary has risen by $8,877 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average intellectual property lawyer earned $73,853 annually, but today, they earn $82,730 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for intellectual property lawyers over the last decade.
Compare intellectual property lawyer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average intellectual property lawyer salary over time
Compare intellectual property lawyer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Intellectual property lawyer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $82,700 | $39.77 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $80,100 | $38.53 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $78,800 | $37.89 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $77,700 | $37.37 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $77,000 | $37.03 | +2.0% |
Recently added intellectual property lawyer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Elser-Attorneys | Intellectual Property Attorney | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $155,000 |
| USG Corporation | Head of Intellectual Property | Chicago, IL | 06/26/2025 | $198,660 |
| Sony | Intellectual Property Attorney | Paramus, NJ | 06/18/2025 | $190,000 |
| Esri | Intellectual Property Attorney | Redlands, CA | 06/11/2025 | $124,800 |
| Fanatics | Counsel-Marketing & Intellectual Property | New York, NY | 06/10/2025 | $168,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Intellectual Property Attorney VIP | Princeton, NJ | 06/10/2025 | $240,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Intellectual Property Attorney VIP | Minneapolis, MN | 06/10/2025 | $120,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Intellectual Property Attorney VIP | Los Angeles, CA | 06/10/2025 | $120,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Intellectual Property Attorney VIP | Boston, MA | 06/10/2025 | $120,000 |
| Vanguard-Ip | Intellectual Property Attorney VIP | Kansas City, MO | 06/10/2025 | $120,000 |
Intellectual property lawyer salary FAQs
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