Legal
Lawyers
SOC 23-1011
Advise and represent clients in disputes, deals, and dealings with government.
The job
Median pay
$160k
$103k to $221k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+4.7% projected
Openings a year
29k
BLS projection
Typical education
Doctoral (JD) plus bar
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
44/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
90th pct
More exposed than 90% of occupations · modeled estimate · 64th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
73/100
Related careers
Key skills
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- 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.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 95,770 | 5.3 | 1.1× | $195k |
| New York | 91,870 | 9.5 | 1.9× | $208k |
| Texas | 56,580 | 4.0 | 0.8× | $154k |
| Florida | 55,210 | 5.6 | 1.1× | $133k |
| Illinois | 33,590 | 5.5 | 1.1× | $161k |
| Washington DC | 33,070 | 47.1 | 9.7× | $195k |
| Pennsylvania | 27,170 | 4.5 | 0.9× | $157k |
| Georgia | 23,930 | 4.9 | 1.0× | $135k |
| Massachusetts | 23,560 | 6.5 | 1.3× | $177k |
| New Jersey | 23,160 | 5.4 | 1.1× | $161k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 19,950 | 3.6 | 0.7× | $131k |
| Virginia | 18,580 | 4.5 | 0.9× | $167k |
| North Carolina | 17,000 | 3.4 | 0.7× | $128k |
| Colorado | 16,720 | 5.8 | 1.2× | $169k |
| Michigan | 16,620 | 3.8 | 0.8× | $131k |
| Maryland | 13,810 | 5.0 | 1.0× | $139k |
| Washington | 12,770 | 3.6 | 0.7× | $154k |
| Minnesota | 12,380 | 4.2 | 0.9× | $155k |
| Arizona | 11,640 | 3.6 | 0.7× | $134k |
| Missouri | 11,560 | 3.9 | 0.8× | $133k |
| Louisiana | 10,200 | 5.3 | 1.1× | $104k |
| Wisconsin | 9,160 | 3.1 | 0.6× | $127k |
| Tennessee | 9,010 | 2.7 | 0.6× | $136k |
| Indiana | 8,970 | 2.8 | 0.6× | $127k |
| Connecticut | 8,420 | 5.0 | 1.0× | $164k |
| South Carolina | 7,890 | 3.4 | 0.7× | $120k |
| Oregon | 7,150 | 3.6 | 0.8× | $138k |
| Utah | 7,020 | 4.0 | 0.8× | $133k |
| Oklahoma | 6,980 | 4.1 | 0.8× | $103k |
| Alabama | 6,730 | 3.2 | 0.7× | $132k |
| Nevada | 6,490 | 4.2 | 0.9× | $151k |
| Kentucky | 5,770 | 2.9 | 0.6× | $102k |
| Kansas | 4,190 | 2.9 | 0.6× | $107k |
| Iowa | 3,550 | 2.3 | 0.5× | $124k |
| Nebraska | 3,490 | 3.4 | 0.7× | $109k |
| Arkansas | 3,430 | 2.6 | 0.5× | $99k |
| New Mexico | 3,380 | 3.9 | 0.8× | $120k |
| Mississippi | 3,100 | 2.7 | 0.6× | $92k |
| Delaware | 2,920 | 6.0 | 1.2× | $174k |
| Idaho | 2,490 | 2.9 | 0.6× | $103k |
| West Virginia | 2,440 | 3.5 | 0.7× | $102k |
| Montana | 2,380 | 4.7 | 1.0× | $104k |
| Maine | 2,280 | 3.6 | 0.7× | $113k |
| Hawaii | 2,270 | 3.6 | 0.8× | $125k |
| New Hampshire | 2,250 | 3.3 | 0.7× | $121k |
| Rhode Island | 1,840 | 3.7 | 0.8× | $139k |
| South Dakota | 1,360 | 3.0 | 0.6× | $102k |
| Vermont | 1,330 | 4.4 | 0.9× | $127k |
| Alaska | 1,120 | 3.4 | 0.7× | $150k |
| North Dakota | 1,050 | 2.4 | 0.5× | $107k |
| Wyoming | 900 | 3.2 | 0.7× | $100k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ94,610 jobs · $209k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV46,840 jobs · $195k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA41,580 jobs · $194k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN28,320 jobs · $166k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL23,270 jobs · $160k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH20,080 jobs · $183k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD19,040 jobs · $171k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA18,760 jobs · $138k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Lawyers 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.