Legal Extern Salary
Average Legal Extern Salary
$55,979 yearlyTo create our salary estimates, Zippia starts with data published in publicly available sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC) Show More
How much does a Legal Extern make?
Legal externs make $55,979 per year on average, or $26.91 per hour, in the United States. Legal externs on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $26,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $116,000.
Location impacts how much a legal extern can expect to make. Legal externs make the most in California, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Highest Paying States For Legal Externs
The darker areas on the map show where legal externs earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
- State View
- County View
Legal Extern average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $99,655 | $47.91 | 238 |
| 2 | New York | $77,861 | $37.43 | 357 |
| 3 | West Virginia | $69,413 | $33.37 | 61 |
| 4 | California | $80,560 | $38.73 | 771 |
| 5 | Illinois | $71,321 | $34.29 | 219 |
| 6 | Texas | $71,958 | $34.60 | 389 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $73,518 | $35.35 | 146 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $69,716 | $33.52 | 157 |
| 9 | Maryland | $73,199 | $35.19 | 111 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $67,925 | $32.66 | 32 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $75,603 | $36.35 | 37 |
| 12 | Virginia | $65,589 | $31.53 | 173 |
| 13 | Mississippi | $55,675 | $26.77 | 58 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $55,765 | $26.81 | 26 |
| 15 | Georgia | $57,631 | $27.71 | 228 |
| 16 | Vermont | $62,358 | $29.98 | 12 |
| 17 | Nevada | $63,883 | $30.71 | 23 |
| 18 | Washington | $59,405 | $28.56 | 145 |
| 19 | Arizona | $56,993 | $27.40 | 106 |
| 20 | Maine | $62,710 | $30.15 | 13 |
| 21 | Oregon | $61,506 | $29.57 | 48 |
| 22 | Delaware | $61,081 | $29.37 | 15 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $56,258 | $27.05 | 33 |
| 24 | Michigan | $53,463 | $25.70 | 166 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $55,815 | $26.83 | 203 |
| 26 | Colorado | $53,333 | $25.64 | 137 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $55,583 | $26.72 | 14 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $51,679 | $24.85 | 148 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $49,977 | $24.03 | 40 |
| 30 | Utah | $54,583 | $26.24 | 28 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $51,082 | $24.56 | 117 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $45,474 | $21.86 | 114 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $56,996 | $27.40 | 13 |
| 34 | Ohio | $52,092 | $25.04 | 98 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $52,994 | $25.48 | 18 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $43,208 | $20.77 | 35 |
| 37 | Florida | $43,244 | $20.79 | 662 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $45,814 | $22.03 | 72 |
| 39 | Alaska | $42,867 | $20.61 | 18 |
| 40 | Missouri | $44,457 | $21.37 | 100 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $48,663 | $23.40 | 24 |
| 42 | Montana | $38,379 | $18.45 | 31 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $45,405 | $21.83 | 62 |
| 44 | Kansas | $46,605 | $22.41 | 27 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $46,069 | $22.15 | 10 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $42,580 | $20.47 | 75 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $42,475 | $20.42 | 41 |
| 48 | Iowa | $43,661 | $20.99 | 40 |
| 49 | Alabama | $42,025 | $20.20 | 32 |
| 50 | Indiana | $38,805 | $18.66 | 72 |
| 51 | Idaho | $33,118 | $15.92 | 18 |
Highest Paying Cities For Legal Externs
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $101,496 | $48.80 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $86,580 | $41.63 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $78,895 | $37.93 |
| 4 | Hartford, CT | $74,723 | $35.92 |
| 5 | San Antonio, TX | $74,562 | $35.85 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $74,303 | $35.72 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $73,566 | $35.37 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $71,920 | $34.58 |
| 9 | Cherry Hill, NJ | $69,840 | $33.58 |
| 10 | McLean, VA | $69,475 | $33.40 |
| 11 | Seattle, WA | $60,055 | $28.87 |
| 12 | Atlanta, GA | $57,688 | $27.73 |
| 13 | Tucson, AZ | $57,298 | $27.55 |
| 14 | Marlborough, MA | $55,358 | $26.61 |
| 15 | Denver, CO | $53,260 | $25.61 |
Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:
Legal Extern Salary Details
What is a Legal Extern's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $116,000 | $9,667 | $56 |
| 75th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| Average | $55,979 | $4,665 | $27 |
| 25th Percentile | $38,000 | $3,167 | $18 |
| 10th Percentile | $26,000 | $2,167 | $13 |
Average Salary By Related Titles
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Counselor | $97,941 | $8,162 | $47.09 | 33,639 |
| Attorney At Law | $122,285 | $10,190 | $58.79 | 7,025 |
| District Attorney | $57,138 | $4,761 | $27.47 | 13,378 |
| Attorney | $86,966 | $7,247 | $41.81 | 10,991 |
| Contract Attorney | $88,179 | $7,348 | $42.39 | 13,592 |
| General Counsel | $122,795 | $10,233 | $59.04 | 50,275 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Legal Externs The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jones Day | $200,562 | $96.42 | |
| 2 | eBay | $144,063 | $69.26 | 2 |
| 3 | Medline | $141,702 | $68.13 | |
| 4 | AbbVie | $134,170 | $64.50 | |
| 5 | Qorvo | $103,424 | $49.72 | 2 |
| 6 | Formlabs | $102,537 | $49.30 | 1 |
| 7 | Fortinet | $97,174 | $46.72 | 1 |
| 8 | Novelis | $94,208 | $45.29 | 3 |
| 9 | Red Hat | $89,449 | $43.00 | 4 |
| 10 | Bloom Energy | $84,711 | $40.73 | |
| 11 | Advance Auto Parts | $76,202 | $36.64 | 8 |
| 12 | Revlon | $75,225 | $36.17 | |
| 13 | Oracle | $75,021 | $36.07 | 47 |
| 14 | Ball | $74,783 | $35.95 | |
| 15 | Algolia | $72,263 | $34.74 | |
| 16 | Barnes Group | $72,254 | $34.74 | |
| 17 | Dolby Laboratories | $71,927 | $34.58 | 1 |
| 18 | Tastemade | $70,513 | $33.90 | |
| 19 | Federal Reserve | $69,235 | $33.29 | |
| 20 | Citizens Bank of Amsterdam | $68,106 | $32.74 |
How Much Do Legal Externs Make In Different Industries?
Legal extern salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that the professional, manufacturing, and finance industries tend to offer much higher salaries for legal externs. For example, legal externs make a whopping average salary of $73,649 while working in the professional industry. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $63,055 in the manufacturing industry and $56,966 in the finance industry.
Legal externs may want to avoid working in the government industry as it offers the lowest average salary of $47,145.
Highest Paying Industries For Legal Externs
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $73,649 | $35.41 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $63,055 | $30.31 |
| 3 | Finance | $56,966 | $27.39 |
| 4 | Media | $53,501 | $25.72 |
| 5 | Non Profits | $49,532 | $23.81 |
| 6 | Government | $47,145 | $22.67 |
High Paying Legal Extern Jobs
Legal Extern Salary Trends
Legal Extern Salary By Experience Level
| Experience Level | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | $32,500 | $15.62 |
| Mid Level | $39,200 | $18.85 |
| Senior Level | $82,200 | $39.54 |
Average Legal Extern Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Legal Extern Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $56,000 | $26.91 | +3.1% |
| 2021 | $54,200 | $26.07 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | $53,300 | $25.64 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | $52,600 | $25.28 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | $52,100 | $25.05 | +2.0% |
Recently Added Legal Extern Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Civil Liberties Union | Legal Intern, Immigrant Rights Project (SF) | San Francisco, CA | 05/31/2022 | $38,756 |
| Hitachi Data Systems | Legal Intern | Englewood, CO | 05/28/2022 | $31,305 |
| State of Indiana | Legal Intern | Indianapolis, IN | 05/18/2022 | $27,569 |
| VOXX International | Legal Summer Intern | Hauppauge, NY | 05/14/2022 | $31,305 |
| Great American Insurance Group | Claims Legal Intern-Summer 2022 | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | 05/12/2022 | $52,801 |
| National Women's Soccer League | Legal Intern (Fall 2022) | Chicago, IL | 05/11/2022 | $31,305 |
| Young Brothers | Summer Intern 2022-Legal | Urban Honolulu, HI | 05/10/2022 | $56,349 |
| American Civil Liberties Union | Fall 2022 Legal Intern, Racial Justice Program | New York, NY | 05/09/2022 | $38,756 |
| Northrop Grumman | Legal Intern-Law Clerk | Falls Church, VA | 05/09/2022 | $61,045 |
| Revision Energy | Legal Department Internship | South Portland, ME | 05/08/2022 | $31,305 |
Legal Extern Salaries FAQs
What state pays Legal Externs the most?
California pays Legal Externs the most in the United States, with an average salary of $99,655 per year, or $47.91 per hour.
How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a Legal Extern?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Legal Extern if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $80,560 per year.
What type of Legal Extern gets paid the most?
Legal Counsel gets paid the most. Legal Counsel made a median salary of $131,667. The best-paid 10 percent make $164,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $105,000.
What is a good starting salary for a Legal Extern?
A good starting salary for a legal extern is $26,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a legal extern in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for legal externs is $55,979, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a legal extern can vary by state.
How much does a legal professional earn?
Legal professionals earn different average salaries depending on their specific position; however, the average salary for a lawyer is around $120,000 in a year. Lawyers made a median salary of $123,000, the best-paid 25% earned $186,000 per year, while the lowest-paid 25% made $81,000 in a year.
How much does the average litigator make?
The average litigator makes $120,000 in a year typically. Litigators made a median salary of $123,000, the best-paid 25% earned $186,000 per year, while the lowest-paid 25% made $81,000 in a year.
What is the highest-paid field in law?
The highest-paid field in law is trial lawyers. Trial lawyers are among the highest-paid legal professionals in the world. Thousands practice across the globe, but civil litigators who handle high-dollar, high-profile, and high-stakes cases are the most highly compensated.
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