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Attorney Average Salary in United States 2024

How much money does a person working as Attorney make in United States?


Average Yearly Salary
192,000 USD
( 16,000 USD monthly)

LOW
88,400
USD
AVERAGE
192,000
USD
HIGH
306,000
USD
All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

A person working as Attorney in United States typically earns around 192,000 USD. Salaries range from 88,400 USD (lowest) to 306,000 USD (highest).


Salary Variance

This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Attorney salaries in United States vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.



Attorney Pay Scale and Salaries in United States

Median and salary distribution United States Attorney yearly
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Salary Structure and Pay Scale Comparison

5% of people earn
182,000 USD or more
10% of people earn
160,000 to 182,000 USD
20% of people earn
110,000 USD or less
65% of people earn
110,000 to 160,000 USD
Minimum Salary
88,400 USD
Median
184,000 USD
Maximum
306,000 USD




Median Salary, maximum and minimum salary, minimum wage, starting salary, and the salary range

All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.
  • Salary Range, Minimum Wage, and Starting Salary

    Salaries for the position Attorney in United States range from 88,400 USD (starting salary) to 306,000 USD (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.

  • Median Salary

    With a median salary of 184,000 USD, half of the professionals who work as Attorney in United States earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.

  • Percentiles and Salary Scale

    The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Attorney in United States earn less than 148,000 USD, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 212,000 USD while 25% earn more.

  • Pay Scale Structure

    To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Attorney in United States compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 110,000 USD to 160,000 USD. About 20% of salaries are below the 110,000 USD mark, while 10% fall within the range of 160,000 USD to 182,000 USD. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 182,000 USD.

Salary Comparison by Years of Experience / Attorney / United States

How do experience and age affect pay?

0 - 2 Years
100,000 USD
2 - 5 Years+34%
134,000 USD
5 - 10 Years+48%
198,000 USD
10 - 15 Years+22%
242,000 USD
15 - 20 Years+9%
263,000 USD
20+ Years+8%
285,000 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by years of experience yearly United States Attorney
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The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Attorney and this is what we found.


All salary figures displayed here are per year except when noted otherwise.

Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 100,000 USD.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 134,000 USD, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 198,000 USD, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 242,000 USD, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 263,000 USD, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 285,000 USD, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

On average, a person's salary doubles their starting salary by the time they cross the 10 years* experience mark.
* Based on the average change in salary over time. Salary variations differ from person to person.

Typical Salary Progress for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Experience Level
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Salary Comparison By Education / Attorney / United States

How do education levels affect salaries?

Displayed below is the average salary variance between different education levels of professionals working as Attorney.

Bachelor's Degree
115,000 USD
Master's Degree+57%
180,000 USD
PhD+68%
301,000 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value
Salary comparison by education level yearly United States Attorney
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We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Attorney in order to make a comparison.


Level 1: Bachelor's Degree

Employees at this education level have an average salary of 115,000 USD.


Level 2: Master's Degree

At this level, the average salary becomes 180,000 USD, 57% more than the previous level.


Level 3: PhD

At this level, the average salary becomes 301,000 USD, 68% more than the previous level.



Is a Master's degree or an MBA worth it? Should you pursue higher education?

A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in United States costs anywhere from 39,600 USD to 119,000 USD and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.

You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.

Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.

If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.


Typical Salary Difference by Education for Most Careers

Salary Comparison By Education Level
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Salary and Compensation Comparison By Gender / Attorney / United States

Salary comparison by gender United States Attorney yearly
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Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Attorney in United States, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 6%.

Male
198,000 USD
Female-6%
186,000 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Comparison By Gender in United States for all Careers

Salary comparison by gender yearly United States
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Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage / Attorney / United States

How much are annual salary increments in United States for individuals working as Attorney? How often do employees get salary raises?

Individuals working as Attorney in United States are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States Attorney
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The figures provided here are averages of numbers. Those figures should be taken as general guidelines. Salary increments will vary from person to person and depend on many factors, but your performance and contribution to the success of the organization remain the most important factors in determining how much and how often you will be granted a raise.

United States / All Professions

Annual Salary Increment Rate United States
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The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.

How to calculate the salary increment percentage?

The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency

The average salary increase in one year (12 months) in United States is 6%.

Worldwide Salary Raises: All Countries and All Jobs

World Average Annual Salary Increment
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Salary Packages and Schemes

Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.



Bonus and Incentive Rates / Attorney / United States

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?Annual Salary Bonus Rate United States Attorney
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12% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 88% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 5% to 9% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
88%
No Bonus
12%

Types of Bonuses Considered

Individual Performance-Based Bonuses

The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.

Company Performance Bonuses

Occasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.

Goal-Based Bonuses

Granted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.

Holiday / End of Year Bonuses

These types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.

Bonuses Are Not Commissions!

People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.


What makes a position worthy of good bonuses and a high salary?

The main two types of jobs

Revenue GeneratorsSupporting Cast

Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business.

Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations.

Example:
A graphics designer working for a graphics designing company.

Example:
A graphic designer in the marketing department of a hospital.


Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.

Try to work for companies where your skills can generate revenue. We can't all generate revenue and that's perfectly fine.

Bonus Comparison by Seniority Level

Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.

Average Hourly Wage / Attorney / United States


92 USD per hour

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) for individuals working as Attorney in United States is 92 USD.This is the rate they get paid for every worked hour.


Hourly Wage = Annual Salary / ( 52 x 5 x 8 )

About The Hourly Pay Rate

The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.

What is the minimum hourly rate of pay?

The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Attorney in United States is 43 USD. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.

Salary comparison with similar jobs

Job TitleAverage Salary
Legal-100%
Administrative Law Judge247,000 USD+28%
Arbitrator120,000 USD-38%
Associate Attorney118,000 USD-39%
Attorney192,000 USD-0%
Bailiff58,300 USD-70%
Barrister48,600 USD-75%
Blockchain Lawyer138,000 USD-28%
Candidate Attorney113,000 USD-41%
Conciliator94,300 USD-51%
Contracts Associate59,300 USD-69%
Contracts Manager110,000 USD-43%
Contracts Negotiator89,500 USD-53%
Contracts Specialist61,100 USD-68%
Conveyancing Secretary48,100 USD-75%
Corporate Counsel136,000 USD-29%
Counsel135,000 USD-30%
Court Clerk43,800 USD-77%
Court Judicial Assistant75,000 USD-61%
Court Liaison Specialist81,100 USD-58%
Court Reporter74,700 USD-61%
Court Representative57,600 USD-70%
Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer258,000 USD+34%
Data Privacy and Protection Lawyer170,000 USD-12%
Digital Forensics Lawyer164,000 USD-15%
E-discovery Lawyer175,000 USD-9%
General Counsel251,000 USD+31%
Genetics Lawyer200,000 USD+4%
Immigration Executive129,000 USD-33%
In House Counsel144,000 USD-25%
Intellectual Property Lawyer168,000 USD-13%
Intellectual Property Specialist98,200 USD-49%
Judge Advocate192,000 USD-0%
Law Clerk44,200 USD-77%
Lawyer178,000 USD-7%
Legal Administrative Assistant51,100 USD-73%
Legal Advisor115,000 USD-40%
Legal Assistant48,200 USD-75%
Legal Associate86,400 USD-55%
Legal Compliance Officer119,000 USD-38%
Legal Consultant120,000 USD-38%
Legal Content Writer101,000 USD-47%
Legal Counsel133,000 USD-31%
Legal Data Analyst107,000 USD-44%
Legal Data Privacy Officer95,300 USD-50%
Legal Editor92,600 USD-52%
Legal Executive168,000 USD-13%
Legal Executive Secretary51,900 USD-73%
Legal IP Officer43,900 USD-77%
Legal Officer59,100 USD-69%
Legal Operations Manager202,000 USD+5%
Legal Process Outsourcing Professional117,000 USD-39%
Legal Project Manager241,000 USD+25%
Legal Risk Analyst174,000 USD-9%
Legal Secretary54,100 USD-72%
Legal Services Director213,000 USD+11%
Legal Services Manager210,000 USD+9%
Legal Support Worker35,000 USD-82%
Legal Technology Consultant89,600 USD-53%
Legislative Liaison92,700 USD-52%
Litigation Attorney225,000 USD+17%
Litigation Paralegal110,000 USD-43%
Litigation Support Specialist117,000 USD-39%
Magistrate Judge278,000 USD+45%
Paralegal70,900 USD-63%
Patent Attorney146,000 USD-24%
Privacy Compliance Officer89,100 USD-54%
Privacy Lawyer159,000 USD-17%
Social Media Lawyer137,000 USD-29%
Staff Attorney146,000 USD-24%
Venture Capital Lawyer189,000 USD-2%
Web Content Lawyer140,000 USD-27%

Salary Comparison By City

CityAverage Salary
Boston189,000 USD
Chicago216,000 USD
Houston223,000 USD
Las Vegas186,000 USD
Los Angeles233,000 USD
New York221,000 USD
San Francisco200,000 USD
San Jose202,000 USD

Salary Comparison By State

StateAverage Salary
Alabama197,000 USD
Alaska174,000 USD
Arizona210,000 USD
Arkansas178,000 USD
California206,000 USD
Colorado188,000 USD
Connecticut185,000 USD
Delaware174,000 USD
District of Columbia173,000 USD
Florida218,000 USD
Georgia196,000 USD
Hawaii170,000 USD
Idaho172,000 USD
Illinois206,000 USD
Indiana199,000 USD
Iowa186,000 USD
Kansas189,000 USD
Kentucky197,000 USD
Louisiana181,000 USD
Maine169,000 USD
Maryland193,000 USD
Massachusetts195,000 USD
Michigan205,000 USD
Minnesota197,000 USD
Mississippi188,000 USD
Missouri204,000 USD
Montana165,000 USD
Nebraska173,000 USD
Nevada179,000 USD
New Hampshire174,000 USD
New Jersey204,000 USD
New Mexico184,000 USD
New York217,000 USD
North Carolina194,000 USD
North Dakota160,000 USD
Ohio201,000 USD
Oklahoma185,000 USD
Oregon188,000 USD
Pennsylvania211,000 USD
Rhode Island175,000 USD
South Carolina199,000 USD
South Dakota163,000 USD
Tennessee192,000 USD
Texas207,000 USD
Utah178,000 USD
Vermont168,000 USD
Virginia206,000 USD
Washington207,000 USD
West Virginia186,000 USD
Wisconsin187,000 USD
Wyoming160,000 USD

Government vs Private Sector Salary Comparison

Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in United States is 5% on average across all career fields.

Private Sector
92,800 USD
Public Sector+5%
97,500 USD
Percentage increase and decrease are relative to the previous value

Salary Statistics and Calculation Guide

What is considered to be a good and competitive salary for the job title Attorney in United States?

A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 184,000 USD and 212,000 USD. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.

Gross Salary (before tax) and Net Salary (after tax)

All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.

Base / Basic Salary

The base salary for a careers like Attorney in United States ranges from 88,400 USD to 148,000 USD. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.


What is the difference between the median and the average salary?

Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary


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