Lawyers and Judges salary in the US
From the median paycheck to the top 10%, this page breaks down earnings for lawyers and judges using American Community Survey records.
How much do lawyers and judges earn?
Across the country, the midpoint of annual earnings for lawyers and judges is $144,198 — 175% more than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. Ranked by median earnings it comes 4th out of 171, inside the top quarter of all the occupations we follow. Behind these numbers are 68,274 survey records — a large enough sample to break the results down further below.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $496,034 |
| Top 25% start at | $240,197 |
| Median (top 50%) | $144,198 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $83,958 |
How wide is the pay range?
Earnings stretch a long way above the middle. The top-quarter line is roughly $240,197, and it takes $496,034 or more — 3.4 times typical pay — to make the top 10%. A quarter of workers in the field made $83,958 or less over the year — a figure shaped by part-time and seasonal work as much as by hourly rates. That leaves a 1.7-to-1 ratio between the median and the 25th percentile.
Earnings by age
Pay grows sharply with age — from $104,947 for the 25–34 group to a peak of $172,593 at 45–54, 64% higher. After the peak, the 65+ group's median falls to $111,215 (36% lower), largely because more older workers cut back their hours.
Men and women
There is a 22% gap at the median: $157,421 for men and $122,891 for women. Women account for around 40% of the records behind these figures. Differences in hours, specialty and seniority account for part of any gap, which the survey doesn't separate out.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $157,421 | 41,143 |
| Women | $122,891 | 27,131 |
Does education change the pay?
Workers with a professional degree ($150,821) earn 118% more than those with some college or an associate degree ($69,037). The most common credential in the sample is a professional degree, with 54,854 records. Thin cells (under 100 records) aren't shown.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $108,356 | 661 |
| Some college / associate | $69,037 | 736 |
| Bachelor's | $122,865 | 4,006 |
| Master's | $122,202 | 2,680 |
| Professional degree | $150,821 | 54,854 |
| Doctorate | $131,184 | 5,337 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
In terms of headcount in the survey, California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois lead the country. California pays best of the five ($170,014 median); Florida pays least ($121,830). 47 states have 100+ records for this job; elsewhere the sample is too small to publish, and none of the figures adjust for local prices.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $170,014 | 9,061 |
| New York | $167,579 | 6,661 |
| Texas | $149,339 | 4,995 |
| Florida | $121,830 | 4,584 |
| Illinois | $155,121 | 3,022 |
Occupations with similar pay
Occupations with a median close to $144,198 include software developers ($134,332), computer and information systems managers ($134,063), pharmacists ($131,257), and chief executives ($161,306). They aren't interchangeable careers, though the middle of the pay distribution is close.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $134,332 | −7% |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $134,063 | −7% |
| Pharmacists | $131,257 | −9% |
| Chief Executives | $161,306 | +12% |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $167,579 | +16% |
About these figures
A note on definitions: figures cover everyone 25+ with earnings in this occupation over 2020–2024, inflation-adjusted to 2024, full-time or not. Medians are weighted to the US population; suppressed cells are those under 100 records. The occupation total is 68,274 records.
See where your pay ranks among lawyers and judges
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Open the calculatorSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — personal earnings (PERNP) in 2024 dollars, person-weighted
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.