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Best states for a legal researcher
Quoted expert
Lorraine Coons Ph.D.
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Legal researcher opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for legal researchers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for legal researchers.Although there are abundant legal researcher jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. New York is the best state in the country for legal researcher jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for legal researchers. New York is the best state for legal researchers, where the median salary is $89,335.If you are currently seeking employment as a legal researcher, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for legal researchers in 2025
1. New York
Total legal researcher jobs: 379 Average annual salary: $89,335 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 1.77
2. Massachusetts
Total legal researcher jobs: 208 Average annual salary: $96,812 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
3. District of Columbia
Total legal researcher jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $86,608 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 4.07
4. New Jersey
Total legal researcher jobs: 137 Average annual salary: $87,072 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
5. Virginia
Total legal researcher jobs: 134 Average annual salary: $86,972 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
6. Rhode Island
Total legal researcher jobs: 18 Average annual salary: $76,661 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
7. New Hampshire
Total legal researcher jobs: 29 Average annual salary: $70,894 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
8. California
Total legal researcher jobs: 798 Average annual salary: $67,787 Lowest 10 percent earn: $33,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 1.64
9. Delaware
Total legal researcher jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $72,768 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
10. Maryland
Total legal researcher jobs: 93 Average annual salary: $71,831 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
Legal researcher jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a legal researcher
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a legal researcher
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $89,335 | $48,000 | 19,849,399 | 379 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $96,812 | $53,000 | 6,859,819 | 208 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $86,608 | $45,000 | 693,972 | 114 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $87,072 | $46,000 | 9,005,644 | 137 |
| 5 | Virginia | $86,972 | $45,000 | 8,470,020 | 134 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $76,661 | $40,000 | 1,059,639 | 18 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $70,894 | $37,000 | 1,342,795 | 29 |
| 8 | California | $67,787 | $33,000 | 39,536,653 | 798 |
| 9 | Delaware | $72,768 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 16 |
| 10 | Maryland | $71,831 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 93 |
| 11 | Vermont | $81,313 | $43,000 | 623,657 | 6 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $60,267 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 27 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $63,631 | $32,000 | 12,805,537 | 164 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $71,316 | $37,000 | 3,588,184 | 37 |
| 15 | Colorado | $59,083 | $30,000 | 5,607,154 | 140 |
| 16 | Illinois | $66,481 | $33,000 | 12,802,023 | 149 |
| 17 | Michigan | $60,894 | $30,000 | 9,962,311 | 107 |
| 18 | Alaska | $58,832 | $36,000 | 739,795 | 17 |
| 19 | Oregon | $58,310 | $29,000 | 4,142,776 | 97 |
| 20 | Ohio | $60,262 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 115 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $50,595 | $26,000 | 755,393 | 20 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $51,789 | $26,000 | 5,576,606 | 135 |
| 23 | Nevada | $59,748 | $29,000 | 2,998,039 | 17 |
| 24 | Arizona | $55,653 | $28,000 | 7,016,270 | 64 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $53,779 | $27,000 | 5,795,483 | 58 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $52,879 | $27,000 | 10,273,419 | 109 |
| 27 | Florida | $50,485 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 300 |
| 28 | Utah | $50,726 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 46 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $48,197 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 54 |
| 30 | Maine | $51,061 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 14 |
| 31 | Washington | $45,899 | $23,000 | 7,405,743 | 247 |
| 32 | Georgia | $49,176 | $26,000 | 10,429,379 | 124 |
| 33 | Indiana | $52,395 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 31 |
| 34 | Texas | $46,108 | $24,000 | 28,304,596 | 290 |
| 35 | Iowa | $47,560 | $24,000 | 3,145,711 | 37 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $42,398 | $22,000 | 579,315 | 14 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $44,711 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 38 | Montana | $41,012 | $21,000 | 1,050,493 | 36 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $44,647 | $23,000 | 1,920,076 | 27 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $44,076 | $23,000 | 6,715,984 | 47 |
| 41 | Alabama | $45,114 | $24,000 | 4,874,747 | 29 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $44,696 | $22,000 | 4,454,189 | 23 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $42,976 | $22,000 | 869,666 | 9 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $43,920 | $23,000 | 5,024,369 | 35 |
| 45 | Missouri | $40,779 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 82 |
| 46 | Idaho | $43,943 | $22,000 | 1,716,943 | 12 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $42,233 | $21,000 | 2,088,070 | 21 |
| 48 | Kansas | $41,454 | $21,000 | 2,913,123 | 27 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $39,423 | $21,000 | 2,984,100 | 16 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $29,752 | $15,000 | 3,004,279 | 24 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $36,997 | $19,000 | 3,930,864 | 17 |
Highest paying states for legal researchers
| Rank | State | Avg. Legal Researcher Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $89,335 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $96,812 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $86,608 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $87,072 |
| 5 | Virginia | $86,972 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $76,661 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $70,894 |
| 8 | California | $67,787 |
| 9 | Delaware | $72,768 |
| 10 | Maryland | $71,831 |
| 11 | Vermont | $81,313 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $60,267 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $63,631 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $71,316 |
| 15 | Colorado | $59,083 |
| 16 | Illinois | $66,481 |
| 17 | Michigan | $60,894 |
| 18 | Alaska | $58,832 |
| 19 | Oregon | $58,310 |
| 20 | Ohio | $60,262 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $50,595 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $51,789 |
| 23 | Nevada | $59,748 |
| 24 | Arizona | $55,653 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $53,779 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $52,879 |
| 27 | Florida | $50,485 |
| 28 | Utah | $50,726 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $48,197 |
| 30 | Maine | $51,061 |
| 31 | Washington | $45,899 |
| 32 | Georgia | $49,176 |
| 33 | Indiana | $52,395 |
| 34 | Texas | $46,108 |
| 35 | Iowa | $47,560 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $42,398 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $44,711 |
| 38 | Montana | $41,012 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $44,647 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $44,076 |
| 41 | Alabama | $45,114 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $44,696 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $42,976 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $43,920 |
| 45 | Missouri | $40,779 |
| 46 | Idaho | $43,943 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $42,233 |
| 48 | Kansas | $41,454 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $39,423 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $29,752 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $36,997 |
Expert opinions on the best states for legal researchers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for legal researchers to find work opportunities?
Lorraine Coons Ph.D.
Professor of History, Chestnut Hill College
I'm happy to see that three of our five seniors have found employment since graduation. Two are teachers working in a high school in North Jersey and a middle school in suburban Philadelphia. Another is working as a paralegal in a law firm in New York as she contemplates applying to grad school next year for museum studies. I have not heard back from the other two. Students generally choose to remain in the general vicinity of where they were raised or went to college. However, one of my former majors is interested in pursuing a graduate degree in museum studies in the UK and would like to live abroad.
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Updated January 8, 2025