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Best states for a staff attorney
Quoted expert
Francesca Laguardia Ph.D.
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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for staff attorneys? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for staff attorney jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of staff attorneys in America is $173,000.
District of Columbia is the best state for jobs for staff attorneys, and Kansas is the worst. The most common pay in District of Columbia is $121,544, while the median pay in Kansas is $63,474.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for staff attorney jobs, whereas Kansas is the worst.
10 best states for staff attorneys in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total staff attorney jobs: 291 Average annual salary: $121,544 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 2.53
2. New York
Total staff attorney jobs: 1,135 Average annual salary: $114,455 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
3. Massachusetts
Total staff attorney jobs: 1,021 Average annual salary: $106,313 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 1.62
4. Colorado
Total staff attorney jobs: 485 Average annual salary: $111,781 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $179,000 Location Quotient: 1.19
5. Nevada
Total staff attorney jobs: 173 Average annual salary: $101,337 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
6. Connecticut
Total staff attorney jobs: 244 Average annual salary: $109,256 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
7. Illinois
Total staff attorney jobs: 986 Average annual salary: $100,984 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
8. Arizona
Total staff attorney jobs: 505 Average annual salary: $97,256 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.26
9. Utah
Total staff attorney jobs: 225 Average annual salary: $100,123 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
10. California
Total staff attorney jobs: 384 Average annual salary: $132,651 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $204,000 Location Quotient: 0.19
Staff attorney jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a staff attorney
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a staff attorney
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $121,544 | $76,000 | 693,972 | 291 |
| 2 | New York | $114,455 | $71,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,135 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $106,313 | $65,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,021 |
| 4 | Colorado | $111,781 | $69,000 | 5,607,154 | 485 |
| 5 | Nevada | $101,337 | $63,000 | 2,998,039 | 173 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $109,256 | $67,000 | 3,588,184 | 244 |
| 7 | Illinois | $100,984 | $62,000 | 12,802,023 | 986 |
| 8 | Arizona | $97,256 | $60,000 | 7,016,270 | 505 |
| 9 | Utah | $100,123 | $62,000 | 3,101,833 | 225 |
| 10 | California | $132,651 | $86,000 | 39,536,653 | 384 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $107,004 | $66,000 | 2,088,070 | 109 |
| 12 | Washington | $95,659 | $60,000 | 7,405,743 | 661 |
| 13 | Texas | $93,140 | $56,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,655 |
| 14 | Vermont | $94,117 | $56,000 | 623,657 | 65 |
| 15 | Virginia | $103,616 | $63,000 | 8,470,020 | 625 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $92,424 | $56,000 | 1,059,639 | 99 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $96,075 | $58,000 | 9,005,644 | 593 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $100,070 | $60,000 | 2,984,100 | 77 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $85,014 | $51,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,127 |
| 20 | Oregon | $90,426 | $57,000 | 4,142,776 | 340 |
| 21 | Maine | $90,415 | $54,000 | 1,335,907 | 101 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $93,341 | $56,000 | 1,342,795 | 103 |
| 23 | Georgia | $87,765 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 739 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $93,390 | $59,000 | 755,393 | 27 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $89,313 | $54,000 | 10,273,419 | 516 |
| 26 | Florida | $79,446 | $48,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,222 |
| 27 | Maryland | $87,469 | $53,000 | 6,052,177 | 466 |
| 28 | Alabama | $76,233 | $45,000 | 4,874,747 | 355 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $77,810 | $46,000 | 4,684,333 | 232 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $80,207 | $50,000 | 5,576,606 | 444 |
| 31 | Michigan | $78,891 | $48,000 | 9,962,311 | 448 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $74,445 | $45,000 | 6,715,984 | 384 |
| 33 | Montana | $76,057 | $47,000 | 1,050,493 | 78 |
| 34 | Delaware | $79,861 | $48,000 | 961,939 | 72 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $73,331 | $44,000 | 1,815,857 | 94 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $75,724 | $46,000 | 4,454,189 | 192 |
| 37 | Ohio | $68,410 | $41,000 | 11,658,609 | 691 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $60,906 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 54 |
| 39 | Alaska | $78,441 | $51,000 | 739,795 | 39 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $72,961 | $44,000 | 3,930,864 | 162 |
| 41 | Iowa | $70,220 | $43,000 | 3,145,711 | 208 |
| 42 | Idaho | $69,315 | $43,000 | 1,716,943 | 96 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $66,728 | $41,000 | 5,795,483 | 367 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $58,159 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 212 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $71,057 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 44 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $69,055 | $43,000 | 869,666 | 27 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $68,397 | $41,000 | 5,024,369 | 227 |
| 48 | Indiana | $63,207 | $38,000 | 6,666,818 | 421 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $67,282 | $41,000 | 1,920,076 | 125 |
| 50 | Missouri | $59,642 | $36,000 | 6,113,532 | 413 |
| 51 | Kansas | $63,474 | $38,000 | 2,913,123 | 181 |
Highest paying states for staff attorneys
| Rank | State | Avg. Staff Attorney Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $121,544 |
| 2 | New York | $114,455 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $106,313 |
| 4 | Colorado | $111,781 |
| 5 | Nevada | $101,337 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $109,256 |
| 7 | Illinois | $100,984 |
| 8 | Arizona | $97,256 |
| 9 | Utah | $100,123 |
| 10 | California | $132,651 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $107,004 |
| 12 | Washington | $95,659 |
| 13 | Texas | $93,140 |
| 14 | Vermont | $94,117 |
| 15 | Virginia | $103,616 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $92,424 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $96,075 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $100,070 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $85,014 |
| 20 | Oregon | $90,426 |
| 21 | Maine | $90,415 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $93,341 |
| 23 | Georgia | $87,765 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $93,390 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $89,313 |
| 26 | Florida | $79,446 |
| 27 | Maryland | $87,469 |
| 28 | Alabama | $76,233 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $77,810 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $80,207 |
| 31 | Michigan | $78,891 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $74,445 |
| 33 | Montana | $76,057 |
| 34 | Delaware | $79,861 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $73,331 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $75,724 |
| 37 | Ohio | $68,410 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $60,906 |
| 39 | Alaska | $78,441 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $72,961 |
| 41 | Iowa | $70,220 |
| 42 | Idaho | $69,315 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $66,728 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $58,159 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $71,057 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $69,055 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $68,397 |
| 48 | Indiana | $63,207 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $67,282 |
| 50 | Missouri | $59,642 |
| 51 | Kansas | $63,474 |
Expert opinions on the best states for staff attorneys
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for staff attorneys to find work opportunities?
Francesca Laguardia Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Montclair State University
The legal field is universal. Major firms may tend to gravitate to bigger cities, but there is legal work everywhere.
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Updated January 8, 2025