Occupation salary profile

Lawyers

SOC 23-1011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

National median · BLS
$159,670
▲ +5.63% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$225,000
▲ +0% YoY · 2,237 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$185,840
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
754,500
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Lawyers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 2,237 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$78,360$100,000
25th$102,990$150,000
Median (50th)$159,670$225,000
75th$221,370$272,418
90th — top pay$351,600$390,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $225,000 for Lawyers — 40.9% above the BLS national median of $159,670.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Lawyers

BLS projects employment of lawyers to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 28,700 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
863,700 → 904,300
+40,600 jobs
Projected change
+4.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
28,700
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
11.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a doctoral or professional degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $225,000
Change vs prior year +0%
After inflation (CPI-U) -3.04%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 701 31.3% $98,114 $120,000 $190,000
Level II 801 35.8% $187,000 $225,000 $260,000
Level III 442 19.8% $225,000 $260,000 $365,000
Level IV 239 10.7% $300,000 $365,000 $422,500
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Lawyers

The 21 most-filed job titles inside SOC 23-1011, from 2,237 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Associate generic 597 26.69% $225,000 $250,000 $310,000 +6.38%
Associate Attorney 441 19.71% $115,690 $171,018 $235,000 -4.26%
Attorney 209 9.34% $116,000 $225,000 $294,000 +6.89%
Law Clerk 123 5.5% $224,186 $225,000 $225,000 +0%
Legal Counsel 62 2.77% $150,221 $163,606 $200,312 -1.01%
Lawyer 48 2.15% $97,784 $122,636 $168,812 -7.44%
Counsel 42 1.88% $217,120 $287,500 $431,250 -7.85%
Law Clerk/Associate 36 1.61% $225,000 $225,000 $225,000 +0%
Corporate Counsel 27 1.21% $182,650 $195,000 $233,750 +0.94%
Partner generic 26 1.16% $420,000 $450,000 $500,000 +7.14%
International Associate 23 1.03% $225,000 $235,000 $260,000 +0%
Corporate Associate 20 0.89% $153,254 $235,000 $265,000 -39.74%
Associate General Counsel 19 0.85% $193,700 $225,000 $285,750 -8.16%
Legal Consultant 19 0.85% $225,000 $225,000 $235,000 +0%
Staff Attorney 19 0.85% $81,284 $87,589 $99,000 -4.45%
Commercial Counsel 15 0.67% $175,000 $195,000 $240,000 —
US Associate 15 0.67% $260,000 $260,000 $260,000 +0%
Immigration Attorney 13 0.58% $80,000 $93,662 $100,000 -6.34%
General Counsel 11 0.49% $117,787 $185,000 $252,336 +12.8%
Managing Associate Attorney 10 0.45% $330,000 $405,000 $431,250 +3.85%
Managing Associate 10 0.45% $212,826 $214,178 $260,421 —

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Lawyers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Speaking4.6
  • Active Listening4.5
  • Critical Thinking4.5
  • Reading Comprehension4.5
  • Writing4.3
  • Complex Problem Solving4.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making4.1
  • Negotiation4.0
  • Persuasion4.0
  • Active Learning3.8
Top knowledge areas
  • Law and Government5.0
  • English Language4.7
  • Customer and Personal Service4.0
  • Administrative3.2
  • Computers and Electronics3.1
  • Communications and Media3.0
  • Administration and Management2.8
  • Education and Training2.6
Software and technology used
Microsoft Office softwareAdobe AcrobatGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft WordSAP softwareAbacus Data Systems AbacusLawAbacusNext HotDocsADC Legal Systems Perfect PracticeADERANT Expert Matter CenterAdvanced Technologies Class ActAdvantageLaw WinVantageAnacomp CaseLogistixArgosy Legal Systems Power Closer

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What lawyers do

  • Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
  • Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
  • Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
  • Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
  • Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
  • Advise clients concerning business transactions, claim liability, advisability of prosecuting or defending lawsuits, or legal rights and obligations.
  • Examine legal data to determine advisability of defending or prosecuting lawsuit.
  • Prepare, draft, and review legal documents, such as wills, deeds, patent applications, mortgages, leases, and contracts.
Also called
AttorneyAttorney GeneralCounselLawyerAttorney at LawCounty AttorneyDistrict AttorneyGeneral CounselProsecuting AttorneyProsecutor
More job titles for this occupation (80)
Admiralty LawyerAgency Legal CounselBarristerBusiness LawyerChief CounselCity AttorneyCity SolicitorCivil LawyerCivil Litigation AttorneyCivil Rights AttorneyClaim AttorneyCommonwealth AttorneyContracts AttorneyConveyancerCorporate AttorneyCorporate CounselCorporate CounselorCorporate LawyerCorporation CounselCorporation LawyerCounselor at LawCounty CounselCriminal Defense LawyerCriminal Justice LawyerCriminal LawyerCyber Legal AdvisorCybersecurity LawyerDefense AttorneyDivorce LawyerDocument Review AttorneyEmployment AttorneyEntertainment LawyerEnvironmental AttorneyEnvironmental LawyerEstate ConservatorFamily Law AttorneyFamily LawyerFederal Public DefenderForeign Law ConsultantForeign Legal ConsultantGeneral CounselorHealth Care AttorneyImmigration AttorneyImmigration LawyerImmigration SpecialistIn-House CounselInsurance AttorneyInsurance CounselorInsurance Defense AttorneyIntellectual Property LawyerLaw WriterLegal AdvisorLegal ArbitratorLegal ConsultantLegal CounselLegal ExaminerLegal Research AnalystLegal ResearcherLitigation AssociateLitigation AttorneyMilitary LawyerPatent AttorneyPatent LawyerPatent SolicitorPersonal Injury AttorneyProbate LawyerPublic DefenderReal Estate AttorneyReal Estate LawyerSolicitorSpecial Assistant Attorney GeneralSports AttorneySports LawyerTariff CounselTax AttorneyTax LawyerTitle AttorneyTitle LawyerTown AttorneyTrial Attorney

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.