Updated March 24, 2023: Explore this matrix for a comprehensive overview of U.S. legal professionals' salaries at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. (What does that mean?) To account for regional salary variations, apply the percentage from the Regional Variances chart below.
   

  • Attorney (Law Firm)
  • Senior Attorney (10+ yrs)
  • Licensed (4-9 yrs)
  • Licensed (1-3 yrs)
  • First Year
  • Paralegal
  • Senior/Supervising
  • Midlevel
  • Junior
  • Case Clerk
  • Legal Management
  • Administrator/Office
  • Legal Secretary
  • Senior Executive (12+ yrs)
  • Midlevel (7-11 yrs)
  • Legal (3-6 yrs)
  • Junior (1-2 yrs)
      
  • In-House Counsel
    General Counsel
    Assoc. Counsel (10+ yrs)
    In-House (4-9 yrs)
    In-House (0-3 yrs)
  • Legal Specialist
  • Legal Specialist
  • General Administrative
  • General Administrative
  • Definitions and Variances
  • Regional Variances
  • Law Firm Definitions


What Do the 25th, 50th, and 75th Percentiles Mean in Salary Data?* 

  1. 25th percentile. At this point, 25% of people in the same role earn less than this salary figure, while 75% earn more. It is considered the lower boundary of the salary range.

  2. 50th percentile. Also known as the median salary, half of the people in the same role earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. It represents the middle point of the salary distribution.

  3. 75th percentile. At this level, 75% of people in the same role earn less than this salary figure, while 25% earn more. It is considered the upper boundary of the salary range.

To calculate a locality-specific salary, multiply the salary above by the appropriate locality percentage provided below. Keep in mind that the locality index percentages are based on data from all industries, not just the legal field, so actual market values for legal professionals' salaries may vary depending on local conditions.
Regional Salary Variances
(Listed in %)
 
New England
States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

Boston, MA
133.0
Hartford, CT
114.0
Manchester, NH
108.0
Milford, CT
112.0
Portland, ME
95.0
Providence, RI
101.5
Springfield, MA
101.0
Stamford, CT/White Plains, NY
130.0
 
Middle Atlantic
States: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania

Albany, NY
96.0
Buffalo, NY
93.5
Harrisburg, PA
95.0
Long Island, NY
125.0
Mount Laurel, NJ
115.0
New York, NY
138.0
Paramus, NJ
128.0
Philadelphia, PA
118.0
Pittsburgh, PA
96.0
Rochester, NY
90.0
Syracuse, NY
90.5
Woodbridge, NJ
125.0
 
South Atlantic
States: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia

Atlanta, GA
107.5
Baltimore, MD
104.0
Charleston, SC
96.0
Charlotte, NC
103.5
Columbia, SC
94.0
Fort Myers, FL
93.0
Greensboro, NC
100.0
Greenville, SC
96.0
Jacksonville, FL
97.0
Macon, GA
82.0
Melbourne, FL
93.0
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, FL
110.0
Orlando, FL
101.0
Raleigh, NC
103.5
Richmond, VA
99.0
Savannah, GA
89.0
St. Petersburg, FL
102.0
Tampa, FL
102.0
Tysons Corner, VA
133.0
Washington, DC
133.0
Wilmington, DE
105.0
 
East North Central
States: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin

Akron, OH
89.0
Ann Arbor, MI
101.0
Appleton, WI
81.0
Canton, OH
82.0
Chicago, IL
124.0
Cincinnati, OH
97.5
Cleveland, OH
96.0
Columbus, OH
98.0
Dayton, OH
87.0
Detroit, MI
100.0
Grand Rapids, MI
86.0
Green Bay, WI
86.5
Lansing, MI
85.0
Madison, WI
99.0
Milwaukee, WI
100.0
Naperville, IL
115.0
Rockford, IL
85.0
Springfield, IL
101.0
Toledo, OH
86.0
Waukesha, WI
101.0
Youngstown, OH
76.0
 
West North Central
States: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

Bloomington, MN
107.0
Cedar Falls/Waterloo, IA
90.0
Cedar Rapids, IA
93.0
Davenport, IA
93.0
Des Moines, IA
100.0
Duluth, MN
83.5
Kansas City, MO
99.5
Lincoln, NE
87.0
Minneapolis, MN
107.0
Omaha, NE
97.0
Rochester, MN
110.0
Sioux City, IA
84.0
St. Cloud, MN
90.0
St. Joseph, MO
90.0
St. Louis, MO
100.5
St. Paul, MN
106.0
 
East South Central
States: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee

Birmingham, AL
95.0
Chattanooga, TN
89.5
Knoxville, TN
89.0
Lexington, KY
92.0
Louisville, KY
92.0
Memphis, TN
96.0
Mobile, AL
86.0
Nashville, TN
102.0
 
West South Central
States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Austin, TX
116.0
Dallas, TX
112.0
El Paso, TX
72.0
Fayetteville, AR
95.0
Fort Worth, TX
111.0
Houston, TX
110.0
Little Rock, AR
95.0
Midland/Odessa, TX
108.0
New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA
100.0
Oklahoma City, OK
95.0
San Antonio, TX
101.0
Tulsa, OK
93.0
 
Mountain
States: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

Albuquerque, NM
95.0
Boise, ID
89.0
Boulder, CO
119.0
Colorado Springs, CO
100.0
Denver, CO
117.0
Fort Collins, CO
100.0
Greeley, CO
89.0
Las Vegas, NV
106.0
Loveland, CO
95.0
Phoenix, AZ
110.0
Pueblo, CO
85.0
Reno, NV
104.0
Salt Lake City, UT
108.0
Tucson, AZ
107.0
 
Pacific
States: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington

Fresno, CA
100.0
Honolulu, HI
107.0
Irvine, CA
122.0
Los Angeles, CA
131.0
Oakland, CA
135.0
Ontario, CA
118.0
Portland, OR
111.0
Sacramento, CA
111.0
San Diego, CA
123.0
San Francisco, CA
135.0
San Jose, CA
132.0
Santa Barbara, CA
127.0
Santa Rosa, CA
115.0
Seattle, WA
129.0
Spokane, WA
97.0
Stockton, CA
92.0
 
 
Salary and economic data presented on this page come from compensation consultants, industry organizations, and trade publications, as well as from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics

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