Legal
Law Clerks
SOC 23-1012
Research legal issues and draft opinions for judges.
The job
Median pay
$65k
$53k to $80k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.8% projected
Openings a year
2k
BLS projection
Typical education
Doctoral (JD)
Our model
AI displacement risk
High
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
16/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
81st pct
More exposed than 81% of occupations · modeled estimate · 22nd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
53/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,800 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $79k |
| Florida | 1,300 | 0.1 | 1.5× | $55k |
| Pennsylvania | 970 | 0.2 | 1.9× | $51k |
| New York | 850 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $133k |
| Utah | 630 | 0.4 | 4.3× | $52k |
| Washington | 580 | 0.2 | 1.9× | $80k |
| Georgia | 560 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $55k |
| Illinois | 538 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $67k~ |
| New Jersey | 530 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $59k |
| Massachusetts | 500 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $143k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington DC | 424 | 0.6 | 7.1× | $124k~ |
| Minnesota | 410 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $71k |
| Tennessee | 400 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $75k |
| Virginia | 380 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $66k |
| Maryland | 370 | 0.1 | 1.6× | $70k |
| North Carolina | 331 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $49k~ |
| Hawaii | 330 | 0.5 | 6.2× | $47k |
| Michigan | 280 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $62k |
| Connecticut | 270 | 0.2 | 1.9× | $99k |
| West Virginia | 260 | 0.4 | 4.3× | $52k |
| Arizona | 250 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $60k |
| Ohio | 240 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $50k |
| South Carolina | 230 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $50k |
| Texas | 220 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $63k |
| Wisconsin | 180 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $54k |
| Alabama | 144 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $47k~ |
| Alaska | 140 | 0.4 | 5.0× | $68k |
| Colorado | 140 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $67k |
| Oklahoma | 130 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Nebraska | 110 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $50k |
| Kentucky | 108 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $50k~ |
| Delaware | 100 | 0.2 | 2.4× | $65k |
| Missouri | 100 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $66k |
| Iowa | 90 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $64k |
| Louisiana | 90 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $63k |
| Indiana | 70 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $57k |
| Nevada | 70 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $70k |
| New Mexico | 63 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $56k~ |
| Mississippi | 62 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $39k~ |
| Idaho | 60 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $76k |
| Arkansas | 50 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $80k |
| Rhode Island | 45 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $50k~ |
| New Hampshire | 42 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $56k~ |
| Kansas | 40 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $46k |
| Montana | 40 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $47k |
| North Dakota | 40 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $86k |
| Maine | 30 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $68k |
| Oregon | 30 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $87k |
| South Dakota | 22 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $56k~ |
| Vermont | 22 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $64k~ |
| Wyoming | 18 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $41k~ |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ560 jobs · $59k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD460 jobs · $59k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA390 jobs · $62k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH380 jobs · $143k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL340 jobs · $56k median
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA340 jobs · $80k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA320 jobs · $80k median
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UT300 jobs · $56k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Law Clerks interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.