Pay by state · 53 areas
Lawyer Salary by State (2026)
Lawyers earn the most in New York at $207,860 a year and the least in Mississippi at $91,690 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $159,670. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $207,860New York
- National median
- $159,670BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $91,690Mississippi
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for lawyers
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1New York$207,860
- 2District of Columbia$195,190
- 3California$195,080
- 4Massachusetts$176,680
- 5Delaware$173,510
Lowest median pay
- 1Mississippi$91,690
- 2Arkansas$98,880
- 3Wyoming$100,130
- 4Kentucky$101,550
- 5South Dakota$102,040
All states
Lawyer salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of lawyers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYNew York | $207,860 | $127,580 | $322,120 | 91,870 | $192,604 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $195,190 | $172,060 | $360,310 | 33,070 | $177,605 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $195,080 | $131,120 | $277,140 | 95,770 | $176,192 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $176,680 | $119,960 | $282,080 | 23,560 | $167,062 |
| 5 | DEDelaware | $173,510 | $130,630 | $226,190 | 2,920 | $173,844 |
| 6 | COColorado | $168,520 | $107,420 | $233,910 | 16,720 | $163,529 |
| 7 | VAVirginia | $167,210 | $107,710 | $207,480 | 18,580 | $165,384 |
| 8 | CTConnecticut | $163,600 | $109,450 | $222,930 | 8,420 | $157,900 |
| 9 | NJNew Jersey | $161,430 | $116,060 | $220,100 | 23,160 | $148,366 |
| 10 | ILIllinois | $160,800 | $103,020 | $224,450 | 33,590 | $160,868 |
| 11 | PAPennsylvania | $157,180 | $98,720 | $208,260 | 27,170 | $161,091 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $155,140 | $107,220 | $216,440 | 12,380 | $157,309 |
| 13 | TXTexas | $154,200 | $102,810 | $223,390 | 56,580 | $158,876 |
| 14 | WAWashington | $154,130 | $111,080 | $205,130 | 12,770 | $144,029 |
| 15 | NVNevada | $150,510 | $122,470 | $200,970 | 6,490 | $150,542 |
| 16 | AKAlaska | $149,940 | $117,340 | $190,740 | 1,120 | $146,484 |
| 17 | MDMaryland | $139,110 | $102,270 | $185,220 | 13,810 | $132,537 |
| 18 | RIRhode Island | $138,960 | $108,200 | $200,130 | 1,840 | $135,862 |
| 19 | OROregon | $138,210 | $99,450 | $195,620 | 7,150 | $133,716 |
| 20 | TNTennessee | $136,180 | $98,750 | $198,470 | 9,010 | $148,231 |
| 21 | GAGeorgia | $134,830 | $84,460 | $202,800 | 23,930 | $140,021 |
| 22 | AZArizona | $134,260 | $102,450 | $177,150 | 11,640 | $133,357 |
| 23 | MOMissouri | $133,450 | $89,900 | $197,110 | 11,560 | $146,944 |
| 24 | FLFlorida | $133,180 | $99,720 | $196,100 | 55,210 | $128,783 |
| 25 | UTUtah | $132,830 | $93,460 | $212,230 | 7,020 | $134,356 |
| 26 | ALAlabama | $131,970 | $82,920 | $181,440 | 6,730 | $148,576 |
| 27 | OHOhio | $131,020 | $90,830 | $191,080 | 19,950 | $141,225 |
| 28 | MIMichigan | $130,520 | $100,160 | $172,340 | 16,620 | $135,652 |
| 29 | NCNorth Carolina | $127,710 | $82,220 | $210,130 | 17,000 | $135,392 |
| 30 | VTVermont | $127,310 | $100,790 | $188,090 | 1,330 | $129,964 |
| 31 | INIndiana | $126,860 | $95,120 | $193,420 | 8,970 | $135,928 |
| 32 | WIWisconsin | $126,760 | $94,890 | $198,270 | 9,160 | $134,715 |
| 33 | HIHawaii | $124,990 | $97,460 | $155,880 | 2,270 | $113,678 |
| 34 | IAIowa | $123,550 | $81,860 | $179,610 | 3,550 | $140,778 |
| 35 | GUGuam | $122,930 | $93,540 | $151,280 | 180 | N/A |
| 36 | NHNew Hampshire | $120,810 | $97,080 | $194,690 | 2,250 | $115,979 |
| 37 | SCSouth Carolina | $120,310 | $80,870 | $174,620 | 7,890 | $128,332 |
| 38 | NMNew Mexico | $119,680 | $95,910 | $157,870 | 3,380 | $129,788 |
| 39 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $118,440 | $99,990 | $137,470 | 150 | N/A |
| 40 | MEMaine | $113,120 | $82,830 | $139,110 | 2,280 | $116,558 |
| 41 | NENebraska | $109,170 | $81,240 | $166,080 | 3,490 | $121,161 |
| 42 | NDNorth Dakota | $106,880 | $92,510 | $137,380 | 1,050 | $120,145 |
| 43 | KSKansas | $106,650 | $83,810 | $159,310 | 4,190 | $118,411 |
| 44 | LALouisiana | $104,100 | $76,540 | $159,100 | 10,200 | $118,018 |
| 45 | MTMontana | $103,720 | $84,180 | $133,660 | 2,380 | $109,588 |
| 46 | IDIdaho | $103,400 | $81,520 | $139,350 | 2,490 | $108,279 |
| 47 | OKOklahoma | $103,060 | $74,950 | $139,630 | 6,980 | $117,323 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $102,420 | $80,640 | $145,270 | 2,440 | $114,440 |
| 49 | SDSouth Dakota | $102,040 | $85,640 | $141,270 | 1,360 | $115,188 |
| 50 | KYKentucky | $101,550 | $78,140 | $149,120 | 5,770 | $112,634 |
| 51 | WYWyoming | $100,130 | $79,080 | $134,570 | 900 | $108,026 |
| 52 | ARArkansas | $98,880 | $69,470 | $132,490 | 3,430 | $113,738 |
| 53 | MSMississippi | $91,690 | $63,650 | $130,170 | 3,100 | $105,448 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For lawyers, the adjustment does not change the leader: New York is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $192,604.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Lawyer pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays lawyers the most?
New York reports the highest median wage for lawyers at $207,860 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($195,190) and California ($195,080).
Which state pays lawyers the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Mississippi reports the lowest median for lawyers at $91,690 a year, $116,170 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Guam reports $122,930 and U.S. Virgin Islands reports $118,440.
In which states do lawyers earn over $100,000?
49 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is New York; the lowest of them is Wyoming at $100,130. The rest report less, down to $91,690 in Mississippi.
Is the highest-paying state the best for lawyers after cost of living?
Yes. New York stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $192,604 in national-average dollars from a raw $207,860. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.