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District attorney salary

Average district attorney salary

$72,965

$35.08 hourly rate

Entry-level district attorney salary
$49,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average District Attorney Salary

The average salary for a District Attorney is $72,965 per year, or approximately $35 per hour. This figure reflects varying compensation levels influenced by factors such as geographical location and years of experience.

District Attorney Salaries by Experience Level

Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned professionals can command significantly higher wages. For instance, those with over ten years of experience often earn upwards of $100,000 annually.

Highest Paying States for District Attorneys

District Attorneys in states like California, New York, and Texas tend to earn the highest salaries, reflecting the demand and complexity of legal work in these regions. Understanding local salary trends can help you target your job search effectively.

What is a District Attorney's Salary?

District Attorneys play a crucial role in the criminal justice system, and their salaries reflect the responsibilities they hold. By analyzing state-by-state data, prospective attorneys can better gauge their potential earnings and career trajectories.

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Where can a District Attorney earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
126k
106k
86k
66k
46k
26k
Columbus, OH$112,197
Waukesha, WI$55,642
Compare salary by company
Vs
104k
84k
64k
44k
Ventura County Community Foundation$87,735
Douglas County$74,145

District attorney salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level district attorney$42,300$20.36
Mid-level district attorney$51,100$24.57
Senior-level district attorney$107,000$51.53

District attorney salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a district attorney typically falls between $72,965 and $167,000.
zippia
$72,965yearly
glassdoor[1]
$167,000yearly
comparably[2]
$128,879yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$93,750yearly
payscale[4]
$78,968yearly
SalaryExpert[5]
$136,147yearly

Average district attorney salary by state

The average district attorney salary in California, Washington, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average district attorney salary states are South Dakota, Mississippi, and Montana.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for district attorneys

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$103,915$49.96
2District of Columbia$85,941$41.32
3Georgia$73,467$35.32
4Arizona$74,363$35.75
5Nevada$81,488$39.18
6Virginia$76,131$36.60
7New Jersey$82,177$39.51
8Connecticut$72,877$35.04
9Massachusetts$70,861$34.07
10Washington$83,688$40.23
11Michigan$68,466$32.92
12New York$69,401$33.37
13Minnesota$64,406$30.96
14Illinois$67,907$32.65
15Alaska$73,343$35.26
16Louisiana$60,485$29.08
17Alabama$60,989$29.32
18Utah$68,313$32.84
19Oregon$70,972$34.12
20Colorado$67,311$32.36
21Texas$60,592$29.13
22Wyoming$57,515$27.65
23Tennessee$58,336$28.05
24Delaware$65,693$31.58
25Maryland$67,320$32.37
26Ohio$59,687$28.70
27West Virginia$61,836$29.73
28Pennsylvania$60,092$28.89
29North Dakota$56,044$26.94
30Indiana$58,014$27.89
31Rhode Island$61,488$29.56
32South Carolina$57,832$27.80
33Hawaii$67,325$32.37
34Florida$56,347$27.09
35Nebraska$57,936$27.85
36Missouri$56,299$27.07
37North Carolina$57,377$27.59
38Wisconsin$55,659$26.76
39Mississippi$53,119$25.54
40Iowa$56,718$27.27
41Idaho$58,681$28.21
42Kansas$55,971$26.91
43Vermont$60,110$28.90
44South Dakota$53,174$25.56
45New Mexico$56,887$27.35
46Montana$52,640$25.31
47Kentucky$53,487$25.71
48Oklahoma$51,782$24.90
49New Hampshire$53,415$25.68
50Arkansas$43,073$20.71
51Maine$35,355$17.00

Highest paying cities for district attorneys

The highest-paying cities for district attorneys are San Francisco, CA, Carson City, NV, and Columbus, GA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$112,197$53.94
2Carson City, NV$83,681$40.23
3Columbus, GA$73,106$35.15
4Portland, OR$70,915$34.09
5Pueblo, CO$67,886$32.64
6Baltimore, MD$67,512$32.46
7Rochester, NY$66,126$31.79
8Denton, TX$58,405$28.08
9West Palm Beach, FL$55,934$26.89
10Waukesha, WI$55,642$26.75

District attorney salary details

A district attorney's salary ranges from $49,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $107,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average district attorney salary graph
Average district attorney salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a district attorney's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$107,000$8,917$51
75th Percentile$89,000$7,417$43
Average$72,965$6,080$35
25th Percentile$59,000$4,917$28
10th Percentile$49,000$4,083$24

Highest paying district attorney jobs

The highest paying types of district attorneys are legal counsel, general counsel, and litigation associate.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
General Counsel$125,248$10,437$60.2250,275
Legal Counsel$132,867$11,072$63.8810,337
Legal Extern$47,238$3,937$22.7110,986
Housing Counselor$78,730$6,561$37.8533,639
Attorney At Law$108,018$9,002$51.937,025
Document Review Attorney$81,181$6,765$39.039,393

Which companies pay district attorneys the most?

District attorney salaries at Ventura County Community Foundation and San Bernardino County are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average district attorney salary at companies like City and County of Denver Government and Fort Bend County are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$66,000$65,200$64,400$63,600$62,800$62,000
MaleFemale

District attorney salary trends

The average district attorney salary has risen by $7,830 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average district attorney earned $65,135 annually, but today, they earn $72,965 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for district attorneys over the last decade.

Compare district attorney salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average district attorney salary over time

Compare district attorney salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

District attorney salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$73,000$35.08+3.1%
2024$70,700$33.98+1.7%
2023$69,500$33.42+1.4%
2022$68,500$32.96+0.9%
2021$67,900$32.66+2.0%

Recently added district attorney salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Pueblo County, CoDeputy District Attorney I, II, or IIIPueblo, CO06/28/2025$104,208
Butte County (CaDeputy District Attorney I/II/III/IVIone, CA06/28/2025$158,326
Douglas County, CoDeputy District Attorney-IntakeCastle Rock, CO06/28/2025$98,800
WeldgovDeputy District Attorney IGreeley, CO06/28/2025$91,458
Boulder CountyDeputy District AttorneyBoulder, CO06/27/2025$96,480
Weld County, CoDeputy District Attorney IGreeley, CO06/26/2025$91,458
County of RiversideDeputy District Attorney I/IIIndio, CA06/25/2025$101,492
MultcoDeputy District Attorney 2Portland, OR06/25/2025$58,111
Adams CountyDeputy District Attorney-Appellate UnitBoone, CO06/24/2025$122,483
County of Napa, CaliforniaDistrict Attorney InvestigatorNapa, CA06/23/2025$133,578

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