Salary by profession · US · 2026
Lawyer salary in the US
What is the average lawyer salary in the US?
The median US lawyer earns about $151,000 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics), typically $90,000–$220,000. That's around $9,540 a month take-home in a no-tax state, and places the typical lawyer in roughly the 92nd percentile of US earners — $97,990 above the median.
Verified 12 August 2026
Lawyer pay and take-home
| Salary | Take-home, no-tax state | Take-home, California | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry / lower | $90,000 | $72,145 | $67,233 |
| Median | $151,000 | $114,475 | $103,889 |
| Experienced | $220,000 | $163,487 | $146,485 |
How lawyers compare
The US median individual income is $53,010. At $151,000, the typical lawyer earns $97,990 more — around the 92nd percentile of all earners. Big-law firms pay far above the median; public-interest and small-firm work pays much less.
Location matters as much as the number. The same salary stretches far further in Texas than California. See what you'd keep in your city →