The average annual salary of legal occupations is shown in Table 1. Table 2 compares the median salaries across all legal occupations in the United States. The legal occupations salary statistics are from the national compensation survey published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $45,340 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $60,320 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $95,170 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $163,340 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | $234,970 |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for legal occupations. The salary is shown in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) legal occupations is $234,970. The median annual salary is $95,170. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $45,340.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of legal occupations from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $95,170 | 13.39% | 20.91% |
| 2021 | $82,430 | -3.01% | - |
| 2020 | $84,910 | 3.64% | - |
| 2019 | $81,820 | 1.23% | - |
| 2018 | $80,810 | 0.90% | - |
| 2017 | $80,080 | 0.54% | - |
| 2016 | $79,650 | 1.86% | - |
| 2015 | $78,170 | 1.68% | - |
| 2014 | $76,860 | 0.99% | - |
| 2013 | $76,100 | 1.09% | - |
| 2012 | $75,270 | - | - |
Table 2 shows the median annual wage for each Legal Occupations in the United States. Note that the median annual salaries vary considerably among legal professions, ranging from $50,490 to $151,030. The highest-paid legal occupations are judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates with a median annual salary of $151,030. The lowest-paid legal occupations in the United States are title examiners, abstractors, and searchers with a median annual salary of $50,490. For more salary information about a specific legal profession, use the links in the table.