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.
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. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $207,860
- National median
- $159,670
- Lowest median
- $91,690
- States reporting
- 53
New York
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Mississippi
of 54 OEWS areas
Top 5 states for Lawyers
- 1. New York$207,860 median · $192,604 adjusted · 91,870 employed
- 2. District of Columbia$195,190 median · $177,605 adjusted · 33,070 employed
- 3. California$195,080 median · $176,192 adjusted · 95,770 employed
- 4. Massachusetts$176,680 median · $167,062 adjusted · 23,560 employed
- 5. Delaware$173,510 median · $173,844 adjusted · 2,920 employed
Lowest-paying states for Lawyers
- 53. Mississippi$91,690 median · $105,448 adjusted · 3,100 employed
- 52. Arkansas$98,880 median · $113,738 adjusted · 3,430 employed
- 51. Wyoming$100,130 median · $108,026 adjusted · 900 employed
- 50. Kentucky$101,550 median · $112,634 adjusted · 5,770 employed
- 49. South Dakota$102,040 median · $115,188 adjusted · 1,360 employed
Lawyer salary in every state
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $207,860 | $127,580 | $322,120 | 91,870 | $192,604 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $195,190 | $172,060 | $360,310 | 33,070 | $177,605 |
| 3 | California | $195,080 | $131,120 | $277,140 | 95,770 | $176,192 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $176,680 | $119,960 | $282,080 | 23,560 | $167,062 |
| 5 | Delaware | $173,510 | $130,630 | $226,190 | 2,920 | $173,844 |
| 6 | Colorado | $168,520 | $107,420 | $233,910 | 16,720 | $163,529 |
| 7 | Virginia | $167,210 | $107,710 | $207,480 | 18,580 | $165,384 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $163,600 | $109,450 | $222,930 | 8,420 | $157,900 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $161,430 | $116,060 | $220,100 | 23,160 | $148,366 |
| 10 | Illinois | $160,800 | $103,020 | $224,450 | 33,590 | $160,868 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $157,180 | $98,720 | $208,260 | 27,170 | $161,091 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $155,140 | $107,220 | $216,440 | 12,380 | $157,309 |
| 13 | Texas | $154,200 | $102,810 | $223,390 | 56,580 | $158,876 |
| 14 | Washington | $154,130 | $111,080 | $205,130 | 12,770 | $144,029 |
| 15 | Nevada | $150,510 | $122,470 | $200,970 | 6,490 | $150,542 |
| 16 | Alaska | $149,940 | $117,340 | $190,740 | 1,120 | $146,484 |
| 17 | Maryland | $139,110 | $102,270 | $185,220 | 13,810 | $132,537 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $138,960 | $108,200 | $200,130 | 1,840 | $135,862 |
| 19 | Oregon | $138,210 | $99,450 | $195,620 | 7,150 | $133,716 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $136,180 | $98,750 | $198,470 | 9,010 | $148,231 |
| 21 | Georgia | $134,830 | $84,460 | $202,800 | 23,930 | $140,021 |
| 22 | Arizona | $134,260 | $102,450 | $177,150 | 11,640 | $133,357 |
| 23 | Missouri | $133,450 | $89,900 | $197,110 | 11,560 | $146,944 |
| 24 | Florida | $133,180 | $99,720 | $196,100 | 55,210 | $128,783 |
| 25 | Utah | $132,830 | $93,460 | $212,230 | 7,020 | $134,356 |
| 26 | Alabama | $131,970 | $82,920 | $181,440 | 6,730 | $148,576 |
| 27 | Ohio | $131,020 | $90,830 | $191,080 | 19,950 | $141,225 |
| 28 | Michigan | $130,520 | $100,160 | $172,340 | 16,620 | $135,652 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $127,710 | $82,220 | $210,130 | 17,000 | $135,392 |
| 30 | Vermont | $127,310 | $100,790 | $188,090 | 1,330 | $129,964 |
| 31 | Indiana | $126,860 | $95,120 | $193,420 | 8,970 | $135,928 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $126,760 | $94,890 | $198,270 | 9,160 | $134,715 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $124,990 | $97,460 | $155,880 | 2,270 | $113,678 |
| 34 | Iowa | $123,550 | $81,860 | $179,610 | 3,550 | $140,778 |
| 35 | Guam | $122,930 | $93,540 | $151,280 | 180 | N/A |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $120,810 | $97,080 | $194,690 | 2,250 | $115,979 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $120,310 | $80,870 | $174,620 | 7,890 | $128,332 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $119,680 | $95,910 | $157,870 | 3,380 | $129,788 |
| 39 | U.S. Virgin Islands | $118,440 | $99,990 | $137,470 | 150 | N/A |
| 40 | Maine | $113,120 | $82,830 | $139,110 | 2,280 | $116,558 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $109,170 | $81,240 | $166,080 | 3,490 | $121,161 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $106,880 | $92,510 | $137,380 | 1,050 | $120,145 |
| 43 | Kansas | $106,650 | $83,810 | $159,310 | 4,190 | $118,411 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $104,100 | $76,540 | $159,100 | 10,200 | $118,018 |
| 45 | Montana | $103,720 | $84,180 | $133,660 | 2,380 | $109,588 |
| 46 | Idaho | $103,400 | $81,520 | $139,350 | 2,490 | $108,279 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $103,060 | $74,950 | $139,630 | 6,980 | $117,323 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $102,420 | $80,640 | $145,270 | 2,440 | $114,440 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $102,040 | $85,640 | $141,270 | 1,360 | $115,188 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $101,550 | $78,140 | $149,120 | 5,770 | $112,634 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $100,130 | $79,080 | $134,570 | 900 | $108,026 |
| 52 | Arkansas | $98,880 | $69,470 | $132,490 | 3,430 | $113,738 |
| 53 | Mississippi | $91,690 | $63,650 | $130,170 | 3,100 | $105,448 |
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, that changes the ranking: New York leads on raw pay at $207,860, while New York leads 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.
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?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for Lawyers at $91,690 a year, $116,170 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Lawyers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts New York first at $192,604 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $207,860. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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