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Summer associate salary
Average summer associate salary
$42,349
Average Summer Associate Salary
The average salary for a Summer Associate is approximately $42,349 per year or $20 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, industry, and level of experience. In major metropolitan areas, salaries may be higher due to increased living costs and competition for talent.
How Much Does a Summer Associate Make?
The compensation for Summer Associates can vary widely. Entry-level positions tend to start at around $35,000, while those with relevant internships or specialized skills may earn upwards of $50,000. In addition, companies often provide valuable networking opportunities and professional development that can enhance future career prospects.
Where Can a Summer Associate Earn More?
States like California, New York, and Massachusetts typically offer higher salaries for Summer Associates due to their competitive job markets. Additionally, industries such as finance, consulting, and technology are known for providing more lucrative compensation packages.
Summer Associate Salary Estimates from Across the Web
According to various salary surveys, the compensation range for Summer Associates is consistent, but always check for the latest data to ensure accurate expectations.
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Where can a Summer Associate earn more?
Summer associate salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level summer associate | $30,200 | $14.54 |
| Mid-level summer associate | $40,500 | $19.47 |
| Senior-level summer associate | $42,600 | $20.49 |
Summer associate salary estimates from across the web
Average summer associate salary by state
The average summer associate salary in New York, New Jersey, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average summer associate salary states are Oklahoma, Missouri, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for summer associates
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $67,757 | $32.58 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $64,431 | $30.98 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $60,569 | $29.12 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $56,713 | $27.27 |
| 5 | Delaware | $55,013 | $26.45 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $62,665 | $30.13 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $61,789 | $29.71 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $56,330 | $27.08 |
| 9 | Nevada | $54,572 | $26.24 |
| 10 | Washington | $57,182 | $27.49 |
| 11 | Michigan | $47,105 | $22.65 |
| 12 | California | $54,969 | $26.43 |
| 13 | Oregon | $56,065 | $26.95 |
| 14 | Maine | $48,244 | $23.19 |
| 15 | Arizona | $45,484 | $21.87 |
| 16 | Vermont | $50,121 | $24.10 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $55,132 | $26.51 |
| 18 | Illinois | $47,106 | $22.65 |
| 19 | Utah | $47,426 | $22.80 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $44,706 | $21.49 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $43,729 | $21.02 |
| 22 | Colorado | $44,448 | $21.37 |
| 23 | Texas | $44,512 | $21.40 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $46,524 | $22.37 |
| 25 | Ohio | $40,698 | $19.57 |
| 26 | Alaska | $51,055 | $24.55 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $40,152 | $19.30 |
| 28 | Maryland | $45,689 | $21.97 |
| 29 | Idaho | $45,761 | $22.00 |
| 30 | Florida | $40,513 | $19.48 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $39,484 | $18.98 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $40,237 | $19.34 |
| 33 | Montana | $37,954 | $18.25 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $39,146 | $18.82 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $42,400 | $20.38 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $42,947 | $20.65 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $53,393 | $25.67 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $40,030 | $19.25 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $38,137 | $18.34 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $35,211 | $16.93 |
| 41 | Georgia | $38,912 | $18.71 |
| 42 | Virginia | $40,905 | $19.67 |
| 43 | Alabama | $38,820 | $18.66 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $38,901 | $18.70 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $36,900 | $17.74 |
| 46 | Iowa | $37,821 | $18.18 |
| 47 | Kansas | $37,052 | $17.81 |
| 48 | Indiana | $32,737 | $15.74 |
| 49 | Missouri | $36,250 | $17.43 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $35,135 | $16.89 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $32,655 | $15.70 |
Highest paying cities for summer associates
The highest-paying cities for summer associates are New York, NY, Ewing, NJ, and Danbury, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $67,758 | $32.58 |
| 2 | Ewing, NJ | $63,714 | $30.63 |
| 3 | Danbury, CT | $61,676 | $29.65 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $60,590 | $29.13 |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | $60,104 | $28.90 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $57,554 | $27.67 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $57,457 | $27.62 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $56,322 | $27.08 |
| 9 | Cranston, RI | $55,118 | $26.50 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $47,475 | $22.82 |
| 11 | Detroit, MI | $47,364 | $22.77 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | $47,124 | $22.66 |
| 13 | Phoenix, AZ | $45,482 | $21.87 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $45,033 | $21.65 |
| 15 | Denver, CO | $44,305 | $21.30 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $44,018 | $21.16 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $43,713 | $21.02 |
| 18 | Arlington, VA | $43,680 | $21.00 |
| 19 | Cleveland, OH | $43,520 | $20.92 |
| 20 | Sarasota, FL | $41,250 | $19.83 |
Summer associate salary details
A summer associate's salary ranges from $22,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $81,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a summer associate's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
| 75th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
| Average | $42,349 | $3,529 | $20 |
| 25th Percentile | $30,000 | $2,500 | $14 |
| 10th Percentile | $22,000 | $1,833 | $11 |
Highest paying summer associate jobs
The highest paying types of summer associates are associate attorney, real estate paralegal, and corporate paralegal.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor-Paralegal | $60,686 | $5,057 | $29.18 | 15,609 |
| Legal Clerk | $35,152 | $2,929 | $16.90 | 74,069 |
| Paralegal | $49,943 | $4,162 | $24.01 | 5,177 |
| Bankruptcy Paralegal | $55,485 | $4,624 | $26.68 | 7,259 |
| Litigation Paralegal | $58,484 | $4,874 | $28.12 | 5,132 |
| Paralegal Internship | $52,476 | $4,373 | $25.23 | 54,408 |
Top companies hiring summer associates now:
Which companies pay summer associates the most?
Summer associate salaries at Crowell & Moring and Shearman & Sterling are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average summer associate salary at companies like McKinsey & Company Inc and Arnold & Porter are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crowell & Moring | $175,143 | $84.20 |
| 2 | Shearman & Sterling | $169,005 | $81.25 |
| 3 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $133,626 | $64.24 |
| 4 | Arnold & Porter | $122,154 | $58.73 |
| 5 | Benesch | $117,007 | $56.25 |
| 6 | Citi | $111,609 | $53.66 |
| 7 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $107,510 | $51.69 |
| 8 | Lazard | $106,017 | $50.97 |
| 9 | ChargePoint | $94,397 | $45.38 |
| 10 | Barnes & Thornburg | $92,712 | $44.57 |
| 11 | Fenwick & West | $84,713 | $40.73 |
| 12 | Grant Thornton | $81,491 | $39.18 |
| 13 | RSM US | $80,161 | $38.54 |
| 14 | The College of New Jersey | $73,577 | $35.37 |
| 15 | Gartner | $70,900 | $34.09 |
| 16 | EmblemHealth | $70,474 | $33.88 |
| 17 | Deloitte | $69,388 | $33.36 |
| 18 | Nantucket Cottage Hospital | $68,933 | $33.14 |
| 19 | Williams Parker | $68,710 | $33.03 |
| 20 | Johnson & Johnson | $68,614 | $32.99 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Summer associate salary trends
The average summer associate salary has risen by $4,954 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average summer associate earned $37,395 annually, but today, they earn $42,349 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for summer associates over the last decade.
Compare summer associate salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average summer associate salary over time
Compare summer associate salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Summer associate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $42,300 | $20.36 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | $41,400 | $19.91 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $40,800 | $19.60 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | $40,300 | $19.39 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $39,600 | $19.04 | +1.4% |
Recently added summer associate salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The TJX Companies, Inc. | Temporary Summer Retail Associate | Cromwell, CT | 06/29/2025 | $34,122 |
| Bncollege | Binghamton University, New York-(Temp) Summer Campus Retail Associate | Binghamton, NY | 06/29/2025 | $32,349 |
| Cliftonlarsonallen | Associate-Summer 2025-Southern MN | Mankato, MN | 06/28/2025 | $61,000 |
| Colgate-Palmolive Company | 2026 Commercial Lead Summer Associate | Overland Park, KS | 06/27/2025 | $105,840 |
| Perkins Coie | L Summer Associate | Los Angeles, CA | 06/22/2025 | $225,000 |
| Blade | Summer Flier Experience Associate | New York, NY | 06/21/2025 | $52,175 |
| Greenberg Traurig | 2026 Summer Associate-2L (Class of 2027) | New York, NY | 06/17/2025 | $225,000 |
| Greenberg Traurig | 2026 Summer Associate-2L (Class of 2027) | Los Angeles, CA | 06/12/2025 | $112,500 |
| Greenberg Traurig | 2026 Summer Associate-2L (Class of 2027)-CHI | Chicago, IL | 06/12/2025 | $225,000 |
| Thomas J Henry Law, Pllc | 2L Summer Associate | San Antonio, TX | 06/12/2025 | $18,000 |
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