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Best states for a trial attorney
Quoted expert
Jason Cieslik
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to trial attorney jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Our research found that District of Columbia is the best state for trial attorneys, while California and Colorado are ranked highest in terms of median salary. District of Columbia has a median salary of $130,770 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for trial attorneys.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for trial attorneys. District of Columbia is the best state for trial attorneys, where the median salary is $130,770.If you are currently seeking employment as a trial attorney, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for trial attorneys in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total trial attorney jobs: 160 Average annual salary: $130,770 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $201,000 Location Quotient: 8.99
2. California
Total trial attorney jobs: 466 Average annual salary: $125,985 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
3. Colorado
Total trial attorney jobs: 55 Average annual salary: $111,434 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
4. Arizona
Total trial attorney jobs: 54 Average annual salary: $106,442 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
5. New York
Total trial attorney jobs: 192 Average annual salary: $105,400 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.41
6. Texas
Total trial attorney jobs: 197 Average annual salary: $100,549 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
7. Connecticut
Total trial attorney jobs: 30 Average annual salary: $102,611 Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
8. Florida
Total trial attorney jobs: 301 Average annual salary: $94,703 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.82
9. Washington
Total trial attorney jobs: 54 Average annual salary: $105,595 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
10. Nevada
Total trial attorney jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $105,933 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 0.54
Trial attorney jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a trial attorney
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a trial attorney
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $130,770 | $84,000 | 693,972 | 160 |
| 2 | California | $125,985 | $84,000 | 39,536,653 | 466 |
| 3 | Colorado | $111,434 | $72,000 | 5,607,154 | 55 |
| 4 | Arizona | $106,442 | $70,000 | 7,016,270 | 54 |
| 5 | New York | $105,400 | $66,000 | 19,849,399 | 192 |
| 6 | Texas | $100,549 | $65,000 | 28,304,596 | 197 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $102,611 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 30 |
| 8 | Florida | $94,703 | $61,000 | 20,984,400 | 301 |
| 9 | Washington | $105,595 | $70,000 | 7,405,743 | 54 |
| 10 | Nevada | $105,933 | $70,000 | 2,998,039 | 12 |
| 11 | Utah | $106,600 | $70,000 | 3,101,833 | 14 |
| 12 | Virginia | $99,693 | $63,000 | 8,470,020 | 75 |
| 13 | Oregon | $98,703 | $65,000 | 4,142,776 | 30 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $86,571 | $56,000 | 579,315 | 24 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $92,887 | $58,000 | 6,859,819 | 156 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $94,666 | $59,000 | 12,805,537 | 78 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $93,084 | $58,000 | 9,005,644 | 92 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $87,832 | $56,000 | 4,684,333 | 31 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $90,635 | $59,000 | 5,576,606 | 60 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $86,250 | $56,000 | 2,088,070 | 18 |
| 21 | Vermont | $96,445 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 2 |
| 22 | Georgia | $86,084 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 130 |
| 23 | Idaho | $85,788 | $56,000 | 1,716,943 | 17 |
| 24 | Illinois | $88,158 | $56,000 | 12,802,023 | 107 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $89,256 | $56,000 | 1,059,639 | 8 |
| 26 | Delaware | $90,228 | $57,000 | 961,939 | 9 |
| 27 | Maryland | $89,671 | $56,000 | 6,052,177 | 54 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $83,284 | $53,000 | 10,273,419 | 80 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $80,005 | $52,000 | 1,920,076 | 23 |
| 30 | Michigan | $81,830 | $51,000 | 9,962,311 | 66 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $84,477 | $54,000 | 3,930,864 | 19 |
| 32 | Montana | $80,402 | $53,000 | 1,050,493 | 22 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $83,827 | $52,000 | 1,815,857 | 6 |
| 34 | Alaska | $86,521 | $62,000 | 739,795 | 7 |
| 35 | Alabama | $85,313 | $54,000 | 4,874,747 | 13 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $80,400 | $53,000 | 755,393 | 8 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $79,331 | $50,000 | 6,715,984 | 34 |
| 38 | Indiana | $78,475 | $50,000 | 6,666,818 | 45 |
| 39 | Maine | $79,341 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 11 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | $82,530 | $51,000 | 1,342,795 | 8 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $78,536 | $50,000 | 5,795,483 | 38 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $78,373 | $50,000 | 5,024,369 | 34 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $80,933 | $60,000 | 1,427,538 | 5 |
| 44 | Missouri | $76,538 | $49,000 | 6,113,532 | 50 |
| 45 | Kansas | $77,508 | $50,000 | 2,913,123 | 18 |
| 46 | Iowa | $77,659 | $50,000 | 3,145,711 | 16 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $75,620 | $49,000 | 869,666 | 4 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $60,351 | $38,000 | 3,004,279 | 20 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $71,720 | $45,000 | 4,454,189 | 18 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $76,099 | $48,000 | 2,984,100 | 6 |
| 51 | Ohio | $69,262 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 50 |
Highest paying states for trial attorneys
| Rank | State | Avg. Trial Attorney Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $130,770 |
| 2 | California | $125,985 |
| 3 | Colorado | $111,434 |
| 4 | Arizona | $106,442 |
| 5 | New York | $105,400 |
| 6 | Texas | $100,549 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $102,611 |
| 8 | Florida | $94,703 |
| 9 | Washington | $105,595 |
| 10 | Nevada | $105,933 |
| 11 | Utah | $106,600 |
| 12 | Virginia | $99,693 |
| 13 | Oregon | $98,703 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $86,571 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $92,887 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $94,666 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $93,084 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $87,832 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $90,635 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $86,250 |
| 21 | Vermont | $96,445 |
| 22 | Georgia | $86,084 |
| 23 | Idaho | $85,788 |
| 24 | Illinois | $88,158 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $89,256 |
| 26 | Delaware | $90,228 |
| 27 | Maryland | $89,671 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $83,284 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $80,005 |
| 30 | Michigan | $81,830 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $84,477 |
| 32 | Montana | $80,402 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $83,827 |
| 34 | Alaska | $86,521 |
| 35 | Alabama | $85,313 |
| 36 | North Dakota | $80,400 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $79,331 |
| 38 | Indiana | $78,475 |
| 39 | Maine | $79,341 |
| 40 | New Hampshire | $82,530 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $78,536 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $78,373 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $80,933 |
| 44 | Missouri | $76,538 |
| 45 | Kansas | $77,508 |
| 46 | Iowa | $77,659 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $75,620 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $60,351 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $71,720 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $76,099 |
| 51 | Ohio | $69,262 |
Expert opinions on the best states for trial attorneys
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for trial attorneys to find work opportunities?
Jason Cieslik
Assistant Professor & Academic Advisor of Legal Studies, Illinois State University
The old saying in the legal profession used to be that 80% of the available legal jobs are not posted. Attorneys communicated their need to hire a legal professional by word of mouth and in-person interaction at social legal functions. It's not certain that this old adage holds true today. Attorneys may be utilizing more traditional methods of posting job opportunities.
Jobs are available, but certain legal specialties may be thriving more than others. However, this cyclical trend tends to hold true regardless of whether the country is experiencing a pandemic or not. Rather than focusing on the specific location of where jobs are located around the country, it appears that legal professionals seeking employment should focus on areas of law that have work and need employees to complete that work. The great aspect of the legal profession is that attorneys and paralegals have always been more than willing to assist one another. Employment is no different. Legal professionals seeking work need to start making as many connections as possible with other legal professionals by phone, email, and other socially distant forms of communication to establish a network.
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Updated January 8, 2025