The highest-paying states for lawyers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of lawyers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $177,880, District of Columbia is the highest paying state for lawyers. It is followed by California (average annual salary $175,680). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of lawyers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $177,880 |
$118,980 | 33,610 |
| 2 | California | $175,680 |
$95,180 | 87,780 |
| 3 | New York | $172,880 |
$80,850 | 86,230 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $161,530 |
$78,540 | 20,380 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $151,960 |
$80,460 | 2,680 |
| 6 | Colorado | $147,280 |
$74,400 | 15,420 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $146,730 |
$78,350 | 8,380 |
| 8 | Virginia | $141,430 |
$72,440 | 17,120 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $138,630 |
$80,530 | 23,010 |
| 10 | Delaware | $137,890 |
$73,560 | 2,660 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $137,360 |
$75,370 | 10,750 |
| 12 | Texas | $134,160 |
$77,880 | 50,070 |
| 13 | Illinois | $133,440 |
$68,330 | 31,720 |
| 14 | Oregon | $132,690 |
$76,270 | 7,400 |
| 15 | Maryland | $131,290 |
$73,380 | 12,950 |
| 16 | Washington | $131,230 |
$75,780 | 11,930 |
| 17 | Nevada | $130,800 |
$74,520 | 5,840 |
| 18 | Georgia | $126,630 |
$62,450 | 20,210 |
| 19 | Alabama | $126,310 |
$59,010 | 6,270 |
| 20 | Indiana | $123,010 |
$66,020 | 8,670 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $121,080 |
$58,430 | 14,150 |
| 22 | Arizona | $121,000 |
$66,250 | 11,150 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $117,440 |
$65,140 | 8,830 |
| 24 | Virgin Islands | $116,670 |
$81,310 | 200 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $116,310 |
$60,460 | 24,180 |
| 26 | Utah | $113,640 |
$68,250 | 4,760 |
| 27 | Missouri | $112,080 |
$63,330 | 12,680 |
| 28 | Alaska | $109,890 |
$76,170 | 1,020 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $107,550 |
$57,680 | 8,650 |
| 30 | Ohio | $107,370 |
$60,540 | 17,800 |
| 31 | Michigan | $106,190 |
$57,180 | 16,120 |
| 32 | Guam | $105,630 |
$61,550 | 180 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | $104,660 |
$66,040 | 1,810 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $104,560 |
$58,540 | 8,430 |
| 35 | Florida | $104,350 |
$57,570 | 57,080 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $103,690 |
$50,150 | 2,400 |
| 37 | Iowa | $103,130 |
$60,520 | 3,450 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $102,860 |
$63,190 | 3,330 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $100,890 |
$64,350 | 1,120 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $99,990 |
$46,540 | 6,400 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $99,280 |
$67,300 | 2,140 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $97,490 |
$51,140 | 7,940 |
| 43 | Kansas | $96,620 |
$58,190 | 4,470 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $91,020 |
$60,330 | 3,480 |
| 45 | Vermont | $87,350 |
$63,470 | 1,190 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $86,340 |
$48,120 | 3,390 |
| 47 | Montana | $86,030 |
$58,630 | 2,230 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $85,980 |
$59,140 | 1,080 |
| 49 | Maine | $85,480 |
$57,660 | 2,130 |
| 50 | Idaho | $84,020 |
$53,090 | 2,550 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $82,540 |
$48,010 | 6,070 |
| 52 | Wyoming | $82,540 |
$38,100 | 1,080 |
| 53 | Mississippi | $80,540 |
$39,190 | 3,200 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $64,390 |
$27,010 | 3,820 |