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Staff attorney salary
Average staff attorney salary
$110,028
Average Staff Attorney Salary
The average salary for a staff attorney in the United States stands at $110,028 annually. This figure reflects the combined influence of geographic location, years of experience, and specific legal fields. For instance, staff attorneys in high-demand sectors or major metropolitan areas often earn more. Additionally, factors such as the type of employer—private firms, government agencies, or non-profits—can significantly impact salary outcomes.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level staff attorneys typically earn less than their more experienced counterparts. While starting salaries hover around $80,000, those with several years of experience can see their earnings rise to well over $130,000. Continuous professional development and specialization in areas like corporate law or intellectual property can further enhance earning potential.
Highest Paying States
States such as California, New York, and Texas consistently offer some of the highest salaries for staff attorneys. These regions not only have a high cost of living but also a robust demand for legal services.
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Where can a Staff Attorney earn more?
Staff attorney salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level staff attorney | $63,900 | $30.70 |
| Mid-level staff attorney | $77,100 | $37.05 |
| Senior-level staff attorney | $162,000 | $77.71 |
Staff attorney salary estimates from across the web
Average staff attorney salary by state
The average staff attorney salary in California, New York, and Colorado are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average staff attorney salary states are Wisconsin, Kansas, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for staff attorneys
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $121,544 | $58.43 |
| 2 | New York | $114,455 | $55.03 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $106,313 | $51.11 |
| 4 | Colorado | $111,781 | $53.74 |
| 5 | Nevada | $101,337 | $48.72 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $109,256 | $52.53 |
| 7 | Illinois | $100,984 | $48.55 |
| 8 | Arizona | $97,256 | $46.76 |
| 9 | Utah | $100,123 | $48.14 |
| 10 | California | $132,651 | $63.77 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $107,004 | $51.44 |
| 12 | Washington | $95,659 | $45.99 |
| 13 | Texas | $93,140 | $44.78 |
| 14 | Vermont | $94,117 | $45.25 |
| 15 | Virginia | $103,616 | $49.82 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $92,424 | $44.43 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $96,075 | $46.19 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $100,070 | $48.11 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $85,014 | $40.87 |
| 20 | Oregon | $90,426 | $43.47 |
| 21 | Maine | $90,415 | $43.47 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $93,341 | $44.88 |
| 23 | Georgia | $87,765 | $42.19 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $93,390 | $44.90 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $89,313 | $42.94 |
| 26 | Florida | $79,446 | $38.20 |
| 27 | Maryland | $87,469 | $42.05 |
| 28 | Alabama | $76,233 | $36.65 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $77,810 | $37.41 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $80,207 | $38.56 |
| 31 | Michigan | $78,891 | $37.93 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $74,445 | $35.79 |
| 33 | Montana | $76,057 | $36.57 |
| 34 | Delaware | $79,861 | $38.39 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $73,331 | $35.26 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $75,724 | $36.41 |
| 37 | Ohio | $68,410 | $32.89 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $60,906 | $29.28 |
| 39 | Alaska | $78,441 | $37.71 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $72,961 | $35.08 |
| 41 | Iowa | $70,220 | $33.76 |
| 42 | Idaho | $69,315 | $33.32 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $66,728 | $32.08 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $58,159 | $27.96 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $71,057 | $34.16 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $69,055 | $33.20 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $68,397 | $32.88 |
| 48 | Indiana | $63,207 | $30.39 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $67,282 | $32.35 |
| 50 | Missouri | $59,642 | $28.67 |
| 51 | Kansas | $63,474 | $30.52 |
Highest paying cities for staff attorneys
The highest-paying cities for staff attorneys are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and East Meadow, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $138,042 | $66.37 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $122,468 | $58.88 |
| 3 | East Meadow, NY | $115,507 | $55.53 |
| 4 | Denver, CO | $111,363 | $53.54 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $109,684 | $52.73 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $106,701 | $51.30 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $101,611 | $48.85 |
| 8 | Las Vegas, NV | $101,347 | $48.72 |
| 9 | Salt Lake City, UT | $99,434 | $47.80 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $97,755 | $47.00 |
| 11 | Olympia, WA | $97,001 | $46.64 |
| 12 | Lubbock, TX | $96,321 | $46.31 |
| 13 | Columbus, GA | $88,719 | $42.65 |
| 14 | Baltimore, MD | $87,907 | $42.26 |
| 15 | Philadelphia, PA | $85,808 | $41.25 |
| 16 | Tampa, FL | $80,608 | $38.75 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $80,255 | $38.58 |
| 18 | Detroit, MI | $79,287 | $38.12 |
| 19 | Anchorage, AK | $78,819 | $37.89 |
| 20 | New Orleans, LA | $77,571 | $37.29 |
Staff attorney salary details
A staff attorney's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $173,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a staff attorney's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $173,000 | $14,417 | $83 |
| 75th Percentile | $139,000 | $11,583 | $67 |
| Average | $110,028 | $9,169 | $53 |
| 25th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
Highest paying staff attorney jobs
The highest paying types of staff attorneys are general counsel, lawyer, and litigation associate.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Counsel | $125,248 | $10,437 | $60.22 | 50,275 |
| Housing Counselor | $78,730 | $6,561 | $37.85 | 33,639 |
| Legal Consultant | $75,024 | $6,252 | $36.07 | 16,118 |
| Lawyer | $115,808 | $9,651 | $55.68 | 2,897 |
| Law Internship | $39,394 | $3,283 | $18.94 | 51,663 |
| Legal Extern | $47,238 | $3,937 | $22.71 | 10,986 |
Top companies hiring staff attorneys now:
Which companies pay staff attorneys the most?
Staff attorney salaries at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Hughes Hubbard & Reed are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average staff attorney salary at companies like Seyfarth Shaw and Davis Wright Tremaine are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough | $207,588 | $99.80 |
| 2 | Hughes Hubbard & Reed | $200,048 | $96.18 |
| 3 | Seyfarth Shaw | $198,664 | $95.51 |
| 4 | Davis Wright Tremaine | $192,503 | $92.55 |
| 5 | Morgan Lewis | $186,315 | $89.57 |
| 6 | Sidley Austin | $180,828 | $86.94 |
| 7 | Texas RioGrande Legal Aid | $180,107 | $86.59 |
| 8 | Kramer Levin | $179,146 | $86.13 |
| 9 | Skadden | $178,797 | $85.96 |
| 10 | Latham & Watkins | $178,512 | $85.82 |
| 11 | Mayer Brown | $175,706 | $84.47 |
| 12 | Fenwick & West | $174,527 | $83.91 |
| 13 | Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison | $174,361 | $83.83 |
| 14 | Katten Muchin Rosenman | $170,092 | $81.78 |
| 15 | Squire Patton Boggs | $169,138 | $81.32 |
| 16 | Baker Botts | $165,394 | $79.52 |
| 17 | Arnold & Porter | $159,171 | $76.52 |
| 18 | Gibson Dunn | $157,064 | $75.51 |
| 19 | Proskauer Rose | $156,471 | $75.23 |
| 20 | Cooley | $151,143 | $72.66 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Staff Attorney salary by industry
The average staff attorney salary varies across industries:
- The average staff attorney salary in the professional industry is $113,835, the highest of any industry.
- The average staff attorney salary in the finance industry is $101,302.
- Staff attorneys in the government industry earn an average salary of $72,503, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for staff attorneys
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $113,835 | $54.73 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $101,302 | $48.70 |
| 3 | Non Profits | $79,287 | $38.12 |
| 4 | Government | $72,503 | $34.86 |
High paying staff attorney jobs
Staff attorney salary trends
The average staff attorney salary has risen by $11,806 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average staff attorney earned $98,222 annually, but today, they earn $110,028 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for staff attorneys over the last decade.
Compare staff attorney salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average staff attorney salary over time
Compare staff attorney salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Staff attorney salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $110,000 | $52.90 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $107,000 | $51.24 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $105,000 | $50.39 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $103,000 | $49.70 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $102,000 | $49.24 | +2.0% |
Recently added staff attorney salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Lewis | Staff Attorney | Denver, CO | 06/29/2025 | $155,000 |
| Community Legal Services | Staff Attorney-Disaster Relief Unit (Remote/Hybrid) | Orlando, FL | 06/29/2025 | $70,000 |
| Kind Snacks | Staff Attorney-Released | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $73,523 |
| Kind Snacks | Staff Attorney | Baltimore, MD | 06/29/2025 | $72,122 |
| Kind Snacks | Staff Attorney-Detained | Hartford, CT | 06/29/2025 | $67,440 |
| Kind Snacks | Staff Attorney | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $73,523 |
| Neighborhood Association | Staff Attorney-Legal-Tier 4 | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $113,000 |
| Cfins | Staff Attorney-Eatontown, NJ or Remote | Eatontown, NJ | 06/29/2025 | $67,900 |
| Naicany | Staff Attorney-Tier 0 | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $70,000 |
| Elevate Energy | Staff Attorney | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $95,000 |
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