Legal salaries
Legal careers include lawyers, judges, paralegals, and other roles in the justice system. Pay varies widely by practice area and firm size.
Below are all 7 legal occupations the BLS tracks, ranked by median annual pay for May 2025. The best paid, lawyers, earns a median of $159,670 a year.
| # | Job | Median annual | Hourly | Typical education | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawyers | $159,670 | $76.76 | Doctoral or professional degree | 754,500 |
| 2 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $153,990 | $74.03 | Doctoral or professional degree | 24,030 |
| 3 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | $117,860 | $56.67 | Doctoral or professional degree | 16,370 |
| 4 | Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators | $75,530 | $36.31 | Bachelor's degree | 9,210 |
| 5 | Judicial Law Clerks | $64,920 | $31.21 | Doctoral or professional degree | 13,290 |
| 6 | Paralegals and Legal Assistants | $62,890 | $30.24 | Associate's degree | 392,880 |
| 7 | Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers | $58,650 | $28.20 | High school diploma or equivalent | 48,580 |
Ranked by median annual wage. National estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025.
Legal salary FAQ
What is the highest paying legal job?
Lawyers top the legal field at a median of $159,670 a year, based on BLS data for May 2025.
How much do legal jobs pay on average?
Pay varies widely across the 7 occupations in this field. The middle of the list, arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators, sits at a median of $75,530 a year. The overall U.S. median across all jobs is $50,980.
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Source. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Figures shown as published, last
updated 2026-05-15.