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Judicial law clerk salary

Average judicial law clerk salary

$54,006

$25.96 hourly rate

Entry-level judicial law clerk salary
$33,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Judicial Law Clerk Salary

The average salary for a Judicial Law Clerk in the United States is approximately $54,006 per year or $26 per hour. This salary varies significantly based on several factors including location, experience, and the type of court. For instance, clerks working in metropolitan areas may earn higher wages compared to those in rural locations.

Judicial Law Clerk Salary by State

Judicial Law Clerks in states like California and New York typically report the highest salaries, reflecting the higher cost of living and demand for legal professionals. In contrast, states with lower living costs often offer lower salaries. To provide a comprehensive understanding, here are the average salaries by state:

  • California: $65,000
  • New York: $60,000
  • Texas: $50,000

For those considering a career as a Judicial Law Clerk, understanding these salary dynamics can be crucial in making informed career choices.

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Where can a Judicial Law Clerk earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
111k
91k
71k
51k
31k
11k
Columbus, OH$95,981
Dallas, TX$40,587
Compare salary by company
Vs
145k
125k
105k
85k
65k
45k
25k
Wright, Constable & Skeen$131,808
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit$54,642

Judicial law clerk salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Payscale and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a judicial law clerk typically falls between $42,971 and $135,489.
zippia
$54,006yearly
glassdoor[1]
$135,489yearly
Salary.com[2]
$42,971yearly
payscale[3]
$53,000yearly
CareerExplorer[4]
$50,750yearly

Average judicial law clerk salary by state

The average judicial law clerk salary in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average judicial law clerk salary states are Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Alabama.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for judicial law clerks

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Connecticut$68,985$33.17
2Vermont$73,478$35.33
3Washington$63,608$30.58
4Massachusetts$81,294$39.08
5Delaware$69,955$33.63
6District of Columbia$95,878$46.10
7New York$67,076$32.25
8Rhode Island$72,935$35.06
9Maine$71,492$34.37
10South Dakota$56,441$27.14
11Illinois$63,361$30.46
12North Dakota$63,111$30.34
13New Hampshire$67,005$32.21
14California$70,851$34.06
15Missouri$54,702$26.30
16Colorado$58,392$28.07
17Idaho$54,582$26.24
18Kansas$49,447$23.77
19Nevada$65,737$31.60
20Pennsylvania$53,251$25.60
21Florida$54,683$26.29
22Tennessee$50,462$24.26
23Michigan$48,885$23.50
24Ohio$50,301$24.18
25Maryland$59,635$28.67
26Montana$57,223$27.51
27West Virginia$50,582$24.32
28Hawaii$54,830$26.36
29Virginia$52,223$25.11
30Kentucky$45,739$21.99
31Wyoming$45,483$21.87
32Minnesota$46,882$22.54
33New Jersey$52,449$25.22
34Alaska$36,823$17.70
35Arizona$49,516$23.81
36Georgia$46,846$22.52
37North Carolina$46,258$22.24
38Utah$41,504$19.95
39New Mexico$43,719$21.02
40Iowa$44,132$21.22
41South Carolina$42,744$20.55
42Texas$41,167$19.79
43Wisconsin$37,323$17.94
44Indiana$36,914$17.75
45Nebraska$37,703$18.13
46Louisiana$41,579$19.99
47Oregon$44,414$21.35
48Mississippi$38,447$18.48
49Arkansas$38,655$18.58
50Oklahoma$33,227$15.97
51Alabama$37,116$17.84

Highest paying cities for judicial law clerks

The highest-paying cities for judicial law clerks are Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and White Plains, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington, DC$95,981$46.14
2San Francisco, CA$76,432$36.75
3White Plains, NY$67,481$32.44
4Chicago, IL$63,859$30.70
5Baltimore, MD$59,981$28.84
6Miami, FL$56,139$26.99
7Arlington, VA$54,477$26.19
8Philadelphia, PA$53,832$25.88
9Fort Lee, NJ$52,703$25.34
10Saint Paul, MN$46,979$22.59
11Atlanta, GA$46,790$22.50
12Baton Rouge, LA$41,731$20.06
13Provo, UT$41,522$19.96
14Dallas, TX$40,587$19.51

Judicial law clerk salary details

A judicial law clerk's salary ranges from $33,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $86,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average judicial law clerk salary graph
Average judicial law clerk salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a judicial law clerk's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$86,000$7,167$41
75th Percentile$69,000$5,750$33
Average$54,006$4,501$26
25th Percentile$42,000$3,500$20
10th Percentile$33,000$2,750$16

Highest paying judicial law clerk jobs

The highest paying types of judicial law clerks are attorney law clerk, staff attorney, and law clerk.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Staff Attorney$110,028$9,169$52.9075,402
Legal Extern$47,238$3,937$22.7110,986
Law Internship$39,394$3,283$18.9451,663
Clerk$31,163$2,597$14.9880,311
Attorney Law Clerk$112,527$9,377$54.1072,641
Judicial Internship$50,523$4,210$24.2947,595

Which companies pay judicial law clerks the most?

Judicial law clerk salaries at Wright, Constable & Skeen and City of Philadelphia are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average judicial law clerk salary at companies like City of Baltimore and MT Law are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Wright, Constable & Skeen$131,808$63.37
2City of Philadelphia$82,878$39.85
3City of Baltimore$66,870$32.15
4MT Law$66,455$31.95
5Cohen & Company$60,824$29.24
6U.S. District Court$60,369$29.02
7Arlington County, VA$59,096$28.41
8Supreme Court$58,021$27.89
9United States Courts$57,144$27.47
10Minnesota Judicial Branch$54,780$26.34
11U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit$54,642$26.27

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$51,000$50,800$50,600$50,400$50,200$50,000
MaleFemale

Judicial law clerk salary trends

The average judicial law clerk salary has risen by $14,142 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average judicial law clerk earned $39,864 annually, but today, they earn $54,006 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for judicial law clerks over the last decade.

Compare judicial law clerk salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average judicial law clerk salary over time

Compare judicial law clerk salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Judicial law clerk salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$54,000$25.96+6.1%
2025$50,700$24.38+0.9%
2024$50,300$24.17+4.1%
2023$48,200$23.17-0.8%
2022$48,600$23.37+2.0%

Recently added judicial law clerk salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Oakland County (MiDistrict Court Judicial Law ClerkRochester Hills, MI06/24/2025$54,998
Arlington County, VaJudicial Law ClerkArlington, VA06/13/2025$75,000
City of PhiladelphiaJudicial Law Clerk I for The Honorable Sheila Woods-Skipper-Orphan's Court DivisionPhiladelphia, PA05/26/2025$59,177
Philadelphia International AirportJudicial Law Clerk I for The Honorable Sheila Woods-Skipper-Orphan's Court DivisionPhiladelphia, PA05/21/2025$59,177
United States CourtsJudicial Law Clerk (Term)Benton, IL05/20/2025$73,939
United States CourtsJudicial Law ClerkOrlando, FL05/20/2025$73,939
Westmoreland County (PaJudicial Law Clerk-Westmoreland County CourtsGreensburg, PA05/16/2025$56,692
Oakland County, Michigan GovernmentDistrict Court Judicial Law Clerk SeniorRochester Hills, MI05/16/2025$60,634
Snohomish CountyLaw Clerk-Judicial ClerkshipEverett, WA05/03/2025$77,969
City of PhiladelphiaJudicial Law Clerk I for The Honorable Natasha TaylorPhiladelphia, PA04/28/2025$59,177

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