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Best states for a patent attorney
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you thinking of becoming a patent attorney and really want to work at Ladas & Parry? Turns out, your chances to become a patent attorney are better in some states than others.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for patent attorney jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for patent attorneys. District of Columbia is the best state for patent attorneys, where the median salary is $111,412.If you are currently seeking employment as a patent attorney, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for patent attorneys in 2025
1. District of Columbia
Total patent attorney jobs: 135 Average annual salary: $111,412 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 9.39
2. Massachusetts
Total patent attorney jobs: 109 Average annual salary: $117,586 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $196,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
3. California
Total patent attorney jobs: 378 Average annual salary: $110,124 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
4. New Jersey
Total patent attorney jobs: 64 Average annual salary: $98,975 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
5. New York
Total patent attorney jobs: 199 Average annual salary: $88,041 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 1.81
6. Virginia
Total patent attorney jobs: 75 Average annual salary: $87,339 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
7. Nevada
Total patent attorney jobs: 10 Average annual salary: $85,954 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.56
8. Connecticut
Total patent attorney jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $88,831 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.49
9. Oregon
Total patent attorney jobs: 25 Average annual salary: $85,901 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
10. Michigan
Total patent attorney jobs: 57 Average annual salary: $78,189 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 0.86
Patent attorney jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a patent attorney
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a patent attorney
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $111,412 | $67,000 | 693,972 | 135 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $117,586 | $70,000 | 6,859,819 | 109 |
| 3 | California | $110,124 | $67,000 | 39,536,653 | 378 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $98,975 | $58,000 | 9,005,644 | 64 |
| 5 | New York | $88,041 | $51,000 | 19,849,399 | 199 |
| 6 | Virginia | $87,339 | $51,000 | 8,470,020 | 75 |
| 7 | Nevada | $85,954 | $51,000 | 2,998,039 | 10 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $88,831 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 14 |
| 9 | Oregon | $85,901 | $50,000 | 4,142,776 | 25 |
| 10 | Michigan | $78,189 | $45,000 | 9,962,311 | 57 |
| 11 | Vermont | $89,579 | $51,000 | 623,657 | 1 |
| 12 | Washington | $81,463 | $47,000 | 7,405,743 | 49 |
| 13 | Illinois | $79,751 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 83 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $84,672 | $48,000 | 1,059,639 | 4 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $79,699 | $46,000 | 12,805,537 | 60 |
| 16 | Texas | $74,528 | $45,000 | 28,304,596 | 187 |
| 17 | Maryland | $84,738 | $49,000 | 6,052,177 | 39 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $77,261 | $46,000 | 6,715,984 | 25 |
| 19 | Georgia | $75,680 | $45,000 | 10,429,379 | 82 |
| 20 | Florida | $73,160 | $44,000 | 20,984,400 | 263 |
| 21 | Arizona | $73,157 | $44,000 | 7,016,270 | 50 |
| 22 | Delaware | $81,413 | $47,000 | 961,939 | 3 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $78,230 | $44,000 | 1,342,795 | 7 |
| 24 | Alaska | $77,796 | $47,000 | 739,795 | 4 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $72,388 | $43,000 | 4,684,333 | 23 |
| 26 | Ohio | $74,191 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 41 |
| 27 | Colorado | $71,906 | $44,000 | 5,607,154 | 45 |
| 28 | Utah | $74,836 | $44,000 | 3,101,833 | 11 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $69,758 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 53 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $72,255 | $42,000 | 1,815,857 | 1 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $68,066 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 35 |
| 32 | Missouri | $65,329 | $39,000 | 6,113,532 | 41 |
| 33 | Idaho | $62,946 | $37,000 | 1,716,943 | 14 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $64,987 | $39,000 | 755,393 | 5 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $63,949 | $38,000 | 2,088,070 | 14 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $59,381 | $36,000 | 579,315 | 23 |
| 37 | Iowa | $69,892 | $41,000 | 3,145,711 | 5 |
| 38 | Alabama | $68,182 | $41,000 | 4,874,747 | 9 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $63,407 | $38,000 | 1,920,076 | 12 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $63,706 | $38,000 | 10,273,419 | 51 |
| 41 | Montana | $58,689 | $35,000 | 1,050,493 | 19 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $60,095 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 30 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $61,422 | $36,000 | 4,454,189 | 12 |
| 44 | Kansas | $60,963 | $37,000 | 2,913,123 | 8 |
| 45 | Maine | $56,515 | $31,000 | 1,335,907 | 7 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $54,997 | $41,000 | 1,427,538 | 3 |
| 47 | Indiana | $53,759 | $31,000 | 6,666,818 | 37 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $59,983 | $36,000 | 2,984,100 | 3 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $57,211 | $34,000 | 3,930,864 | 11 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $58,712 | $35,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $45,289 | $27,000 | 3,004,279 | 10 |
Highest paying states for patent attorneys
| Rank | State | Avg. Patent Attorney Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $111,412 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $117,586 |
| 3 | California | $110,124 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $98,975 |
| 5 | New York | $88,041 |
| 6 | Virginia | $87,339 |
| 7 | Nevada | $85,954 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $88,831 |
| 9 | Oregon | $85,901 |
| 10 | Michigan | $78,189 |
| 11 | Vermont | $89,579 |
| 12 | Washington | $81,463 |
| 13 | Illinois | $79,751 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $84,672 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $79,699 |
| 16 | Texas | $74,528 |
| 17 | Maryland | $84,738 |
| 18 | Tennessee | $77,261 |
| 19 | Georgia | $75,680 |
| 20 | Florida | $73,160 |
| 21 | Arizona | $73,157 |
| 22 | Delaware | $81,413 |
| 23 | New Hampshire | $78,230 |
| 24 | Alaska | $77,796 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $72,388 |
| 26 | Ohio | $74,191 |
| 27 | Colorado | $71,906 |
| 28 | Utah | $74,836 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $69,758 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $72,255 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $68,066 |
| 32 | Missouri | $65,329 |
| 33 | Idaho | $62,946 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $64,987 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $63,949 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $59,381 |
| 37 | Iowa | $69,892 |
| 38 | Alabama | $68,182 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $63,407 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $63,706 |
| 41 | Montana | $58,689 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $60,095 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $61,422 |
| 44 | Kansas | $60,963 |
| 45 | Maine | $56,515 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $54,997 |
| 47 | Indiana | $53,759 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $59,983 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $57,211 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $58,712 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $45,289 |
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Updated January 8, 2025