NALP Bulletin+, November 2024
NALP has documented long-standing disparities in employment outcomes for graduates of color as compared to White graduates. The latest data from NALP's Class of 2023 Employment Report and Salary Survey show modest progress in narrowing these gaps in bar admission employment across nearly all racial groups, except for Latinx graduates. However, progress was more limited for overall employment rates — where improvements this year were only observed for Native American, Alaska Native, and multiracial graduates.
Chart 1 displays differences in employment rates by race/ethnicity (in percentage points) as compared to all graduates for the classes of 2015-2023. A negative number indicates a lower percentage of employed graduates compared to graduates overall and a positive number indicates a higher percentage of employed graduates compared to the class as a whole. While these employment differentials have narrowed by about two percentage points each for Asian, Black, and Latinx graduates since 2015, that improvement stalled for the Class of 2023. The employment gap widened this year by 0.1 percentage points for Asian graduates, by 0.8 percentage points for Latinx graduates, and by 0.9 percentage points for Black graduates. Notably, this is the second year in a row in which the gap has increased for Asian graduates.
The number of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander graduates in each class year is relatively small as seen in Table 1; therefore, their employment rates may be more subject to fluctuation from year to year. For these racial groups, differences in employment rates have varied and include years of both positive and negative differentials as compared to all graduates (although more often negative for Native American graduates). For the Class of 2023, the employment rate gap for Native American and Alaska Native graduates narrowed by 0.7 percentage points; however, it remains the largest among all groups at nearly five percentage points. For Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander graduates, there was a modest gap of 0.9 percentage points this year compared to no gap in 2022.
The differential for multiracial graduates narrowed by 0.8 percentage points this year, but at 1.5 points, it remains larger than it was from 2018 to 2021. In contrast, employment rate differentials for White graduates have been relatively stable, ranging from 1-2 percentage points above the overall class figure.
Due to the higher overall employment rate for White graduates, disparities in employment rates are further magnified when using White graduates as the comparator but follow the same general patterns. Gaps between Black or African American and White graduates have narrowed from about eight percentage points in 2015 to approximately five points in 2023. For the Class of 2023, the widest gap — six percentage points — was between Native American/Alaska Native graduates and White graduates.
Chart 2 depicts differences by race/ethnicity in the percentage of graduates employed in bar admission required jobs as compared to all graduates for the classes of 2015-2023. Unlike the trend this year in overall employment rates, gaps in bar admission employment rates narrowed for most racial groups in 2023, with the exception of Latinx graduates. However, disparities in bar admission employment remain exceptionally large for Black, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander graduates.
For the Class of 2023, the bar admission employment rate gap for Black graduates saw a slight decrease of 0.1 percentage points, but it remains over nine percentage points. Asian graduates experienced an improvement of 0.6 points, while multiracial graduates saw a 1.8-point reduction. The gap for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander graduates narrowed by nearly four points, and for Native American and Alaska Native graduates, it shrank by almost six points. Despite these gains, the gaps for these two groups remain amongst the largest, at approximately 15 and 9 points, respectively.
Latinx graduates were the only racial group for which the bar admission employment gap widened this year. It more than doubled from 0.9 points for the Class of 2022 to 1.9 points for the Class of 2023. However, despite this year's gain, the differential remains smaller than it was from 2015 to 2019, when it exceeded three percentage points.
As with employment rates, the higher level of employment in bar admission required jobs for White graduates means that these disparities are further exacerbated when using White graduates as the comparator, although the same overall trends remain. From 2015-2022, employment rate differentials for White graduates ranged from 3-4 percentage points above the overall class figure, although that figure was closer to two percentage points for the Class of 2023.
Gaps between Black graduates and White graduates narrowed from about 21 percentage points in 2015 to 11.5 percentage points in 2023. The largest differential for the Class of 2023 existed between Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander graduates and White graduates, at nearly 18 points. Differences in the percentage of employed graduates in bar admission required jobs for other racial groups as compared to White graduates ranged from approximately 3.5 to 11.5 percentage points. (See Table 2.)
While White graduates have consistently had the highest overall bar admission employment rates, employed Asian graduates consistently obtain the highest percentage of private practice jobs — with rates about 5-8 points higher compared to the class overall since 2015. Similarly, Latinx graduates have had higher levels of private practice employment, but to a lesser extent, with rates of about 1-2 points above the class. For Black graduates, the private practice employment gap has narrowed by about nine points, dropping from approximately 15 to 6 points, however, they continue to work in law firms at a lower rate compared to most other racial/ethnic groups, except for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander graduates. The gap for these graduates was by far the largest for the Class of 2023, at more than 17 percentage points. (See Chart 3 and Table 3.)
While there has been some positive progress in reducing disparities in employment outcomes, significant gaps persist, especially for Black, Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander graduates. The increasing disparities in overall employment rates for most groups in 2023 is also a cause for concern and NALP plans to closely monitor these data moving forward.
Additional data on disparities in employment outcomes are available in Jobs & JDs: Employment and Salaries of New Graduates, Class of 2023 — available now in the NALP Bookstore.
Table 1. Employment Rates by Race/Ethnicity and Gender, Classes of 2015-2023
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||||||
Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | Employment Rate (%) | # of Graduates* | |
All Graduates | 86.7% | 38,627 | 87.5% | 35,815 | 88.6% | 33,966 | 89.4% | 33,510 | 90.3% | 33,007 | 88.4% | 33,235 | 91.9% | 34,562 | 92.1% | 35,078 | 92.6% | 34,392 |
All Men | 87.2% | 19,835 | 87.6% | 17,944 | 88.6% | 16,666 | 89.9% | 16,279 | 90.3% | 15,339 | 87.6% | 14,875 | 91.7% | 15,093 | 92.1% | 14,710 | 92.6% | 13,923 |
All Women | 86.2% | 18,385 | 87.6% | 17,092 | 88.8% | 16,413 | 89.3% | 16,199 | 90.6% | 16,447 | 89.4% | 16,569 | 92.4% | 17,289 | 92.7% | 18,003 | 92.9% | 17,287 |
White/Caucasian Graduates | 88.4% | 25,219 | 89.4% | 23,088 | 90.7% | 21,544 | 91.3% | 20,776 | 92.1% | 20,060 | 90.1% | 19,870 | 93.1% | 21,028 | 93.4% | 21,402 | 94.0% | 20,331 |
White/Caucasian Men | 88.5% | 13,946 | 88.9% | 12,570 | 90.4% | 11,516 | 91.0% | 11,053 | 91.8% | 10,201 | 89.0% | 9,870 | 93.8% | 10,264 | 93.1% | 9,753 | 93.6% | 9,280 |
White/Caucasian Women | 88.4% | 11,200 | 90.0% | 10,378 | 91.3% | 9,859 | 91.6% | 9,486 | 92.5% | 9,493 | 91.4% | 9,715 | 92.6% | 10,091 | 93.9% | 10,712 | 94.7% | 10,168 |
Asian Graduates | 82.3% | 2,970 | 82.8% | 2,815 | 85.5% | 2,821 | 86.3% | 2,709 | 86.4% | 2,545 | 85.7% | 2,473 | 90.3% | 2,674 | 90.1% | 2,767 | 90.5% | 2,598 |
Asian Men | 81.7% | 1,271 | 81.8% | 1,206 | 85.7% | 1,211 | 86.5% | 1,119 | 84.6% | 1,016 | 85.2% | 1,006 | 90.6% | 1,007 | 89.7% | 1,022 | 90.8% | 909 |
Asian Women | 82.7% | 1,681 | 83.5% | 1,588 | 85.4% | 1,583 | 86.0% | 1,561 | 87.9% | 1,478 | 86.2% | 1,421 | 90.6% | 1,588 | 90.7% | 1,615 | 90.1% | 1,576 |
Black or African American Graduates | 80.6% | 2,808 | 82.1% | 2,694 | 82.5% | 2,601 | 84.2% | 2,652 | 85.4% | 2,552 | 83.8% | 2,447 | 88.6% | 2,303 | 89.2% | 2,553 | 88.8% | 2,396 |
Black or African American Men | 81.2% | 1,012 | 83.0% | 996 | 80.8% | 950 | 85.7% | 929 | 86.5% | 882 | 83.9% | 838 | 87.9% | 816 | 89.0% | 830 | 89.1% | 768 |
Black or African American Women | 80.2% | 1,777 | 81.5% | 1,678 | 83.5% | 1,627 | 83.4% | 1,676 | 84.7% | 1,632 | 83.9% | 1,574 | 88.9% | 1,420 | 89.7% | 1,637 | 88.4% | 1,557 |
Latinx Graduates | 83.7% | 2,461 | 84.6% | 3,063 | 85.5% | 2,998 | 87.7% | 3,423 | 88.1% | 3,547 | 87.0% | 3,297 | 90.7% | 3,325 | 91.6% | 3,521 | 91.3% | 3,616 |
Latinx Men | 85.0% | 1,089 | 85.5% | 1,317 | 86.3% | 1,304 | 88.6% | 1,543 | 88.3% | 1,523 | 85.4% | 1,393 | 89.4% | 1,322 | 91.3% | 1,385 | 91.5% | 1,414 |
Latinx Women | 82.6% | 1,364 | 83.9% | 1,725 | 85.2% | 1,646 | 87.3% | 1,782 | 87.9% | 1,972 | 88.3% | 1,846 | 91.6% | 1,908 | 91.9% | 1,986 | 91.3% | 2,086 |
Native American and Alaska Native Graduates | 84.8% | 164 | 83.8% | 136 | 91.7% | 121 | 89.3% | 112 | 85.5% | 117 | 84.1% | 113 | 88.6% | 114 | 86.5% | 126 | 87.7% | 122 |
Native American or Alaska Native Men | 86.0% | 86 | 78.0% | 59 | 90.4% | 52 | 93.8% | 48 | 83.3% | 48 | 87.5% | 48 | 89.6% | 48 | 88.7% | 53 | 91.1% | 45 |
Native American or Alaska Native Women | 83.3% | 78 | 88.2% | 76 | 94.0% | 67 | 85.2% | 61 | 85.9% | 64 | 83.6% | 61 | 87.3% | 63 | 85.5% | 69 | 84.7% | 72 |
Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander Graduates | 86.2% | 65 | 89.1% | 55 | 90.0% | 40 | 89.7% | 39 | 92.9% | 42 | 81.5% | 88 | 81.1% | 53 | 92.2% | 51 | 91.7% | 48 |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Men | 88.5% | 26 | 91.3% | 23 | 87.5% | 24 | 100.0% | 15 | 90.0% | 20 | 81.3% | 32 | 79.2% | 24 | 95.2% | 21 | 82.4% | 17 |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Women | 84.6% | 39 | 87.1% | 31 | 93.8% | 16 | 86.4% | 22 | 95.5% | 22 | 81.3% | 48 | 84.6% | 26 | 92.3% | 26 | 96.0% | 25 |
Multiracial Graduates | 85.4% | 1,675 | 85.9% | 970 | 86.7% | 976 | 89.2% | 1,024 | 89.7% | 929 | 88.3% | 1,048 | 92.7% | 1,175 | 89.8% | 1,220 | 91.1% | 1,268 |
Multiracial Men | 85.3% | 791 | 85.8% | 487 | 83.8% | 470 | 89.8% | 462 | 87.0% | 377 | 87.4% | 437 | 91.4% | 477 | 89.6% | 479 | 91.0% | 498 |
Multiracial Women | 85.5% | 880 | 85.9% | 476 | 89.2% | 499 | 88.8% | 554 | 91.5% | 540 | 89.4% | 583 | 93.4% | 655 | 90.4% | 685 | 91.0% | 712 |
Source: NALP Employment Report and Salary Survey, 2015-2023
*For whom employment status and the appropriate demographic information was reported.
Note: Data are not reported out separately by race/ethnicity for gender non-binary graduates and graduates who chose to self-identify their gender due to the small number of graduates.
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
All Graduates | 66.6% | 67.7% | 71.8% | 72.8% | 76.2% | 74.6% | 78.2% | 79.9% | 82.1% |
All Men | 67.0% | 67.5% | 71.2% | 72.8% | 75.5% | 73.2% | 77.5% | 79.8% | 81.7% |
All Women | 66.4% | 68.1% | 72.8% | 73.7% | 77.2% | 76.7% | 79.6% | 81.2% | 83.1% |
White/Caucasian Graduates | 69.7% | 70.9% | 75.2% | 76.6% | 79.8% | 78.0% | 81.0% | 82.7% | 84.4% |
White/Caucasian Men | 69.3% | 70.3% | 73.9% | 75.6% | 78.4% | 75.9% | 79.4% | 82.1% | 83.4% |
White/Caucasian Women | 70.2% | 71.7% | 77.0% | 78.1% | 81.1% | 80.3% | 82.8% | 83.9% | 85.9% |
Asian Graduates | 62.7% | 64.3% | 68.6% | 69.6% | 70.6% | 71.9% | 75.8% | 78.0% | 80.8% |
Asian Men | 60.6% | 61.1% | 66.4% | 68.3% | 66.2% | 68.5% | 73.9% | 76.0% | 78.7% |
Asian Women | 64.5% | 66.4% | 70.4% | 70.7% | 73.7% | 74.2% | 77.9% | 80.1% | 81.9% |
Black or African American Graduates | 49.1% | 51.2% | 57.2% | 57.5% | 62.4% | 62.5% | 65.9% | 70.6% | 72.9% |
Black or African American Men | 49.7% | 51.7% | 54.9% | 58.3% | 61.7% | 62.3% | 64.8% | 70.8% | 72.8% |
Black or African American Women | 48.8% | 51.0% | 58.8% | 57.2% | 62.6% | 62.6% | 66.3% | 71.0% | 72.8% |
Latinx Graduates | 63.3% | 64.1% | 68.2% | 71.2% | 73.1% | 73.1% | 77.2% | 79.0% | 80.3% |
Latinx Men | 63.9% | 63.5% | 68.3% | 70.0% | 73.2% | 69.6% | 75.9% | 77.6% | 79.8% |
Latinx Women | 62.7% | 64.6% | 68.5% | 73.1% | 73.1% | 75.6% | 78.2% | 80.4% | 81.2% |
Native American or Alaska Native Graduates | 65.2% | 63.2% | 70.2% | 72.3% | 63.2% | 65.5% | 69.3% | 65.1% | 73.0% |
Native American or Alaska Native Men | 67.4% | 57.6% | 69.2% | 72.9% | 58.3% | 62.5% | 70.8% | 64.2% | 77.8% |
Native American or Alaska Native Women | 62.8% | 67.1% | 71.6% | 70.5% | 65.6% | 68.9% | 69.8% | 66.7% | 70.8% |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Graduates | 53.8% | 65.5% | 60.0% | 59.0% | 73.8% | 56.8% | 58.5% | 60.8% | 66.7% |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Men | 53.8% | 69.6% | 41.7% | 80.0% | 75.0% | 50.0% | 50.0% | 47.6% | 64.7% |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Women | 53.8% | 61.3% | 87.5% | 45.5% | 72.7% | 60.4% | 65.4% | 73.1% | 76.0% |
Multiracial Graduates | 63.5% | 63.0% | 67.4% | 72.9% | 77.2% | 73.5% | 78.6% | 76.8% | 80.8% |
Multiracial Men | 62.6% | 61.8% | 63.4% | 74.9% | 74.8% | 72.1% | 78.8% | 77.7% | 80.9% |
Multiracial Women | 64.5% | 64.3% | 70.9% | 71.3% | 78.7% | 75.6% | 78.5% | 77.1% | 80.6% |
Source: NALP Employment Report and Salary Survey, 2015-2023
Note: Data are not reported out separately by race/ethnicity for gender non-binary graduates and graduates who chose to self-identify their gender due to the small number of graduates.
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
All Graduates | 51.3% | 52.9% | 54.4% | 54.8% | 55.2% | 56.8% | 57.0% | 58.0% | 58.2% |
All Men | 53.0% | 54.5% | 55.6% | 56.2% | 57.1% | 58.4% | 58.2% | 59.8% | 59.1% |
All Women | 49.7% | 51.4% | 53.4% | 53.6% | 53.7% | 55.7% | 56.4% | 57.5% | 57.7% |
White/Caucasian Graduates | 52.3% | 53.7% | 55.2% | 55.5% | 55.8% | 56.6% | 56.6% | 57.8% | 57.4% |
White/Caucasian Men | 53.9% | 55.0% | 55.9% | 56.7% | 57.9% | 58.3% | 58.0% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
White/Caucasian Women | 50.3% | 52.1% | 54.3% | 54.2% | 54.0% | 55.4% | 55.7% | 56.7% | 56.5% |
Asian Graduates | 57.8% | 58.0% | 59.4% | 62.1% | 62.1% | 65.0% | 63.6% | 65.7% | 65.7% |
Asian Men | 56.6% | 58.9% | 57.4% | 64.5% | 59.8% | 62.3% | 61.8% | 65.2% | 64.5% |
Asian Women | 58.8% | 57.4% | 61.3% | 60.6% | 63.7% | 67.1% | 65.1% | 67.1% | 66.5% |
Black or African American Graduates | 35.9% | 38.9% | 40.4% | 41.9% | 43.6% | 45.9% | 45.9% | 51.8% | 52.0% |
Black or African American Men | 38.8% | 42.0% | 41.3% | 44.1% | 46.5% | 46.3% | 48.1% | 53.7% | 54.4% |
Black or African American Women | 34.2% | 37.3% | 40.0% | 40.5% | 42.1% | 45.7% | 45.0% | 51.6% | 50.9% |
Latinx Graduates | 53.2% | 54.9% | 56.3% | 55.5% | 55.9% | 57.9% | 57.9% | 58.9% | 59.3% |
Latinx Men | 53.9% | 55.7% | 59.3% | 55.2% | 57.5% | 60.7% | 59.8% | 60.2% | 59.0% |
Latinx Women | 52.7% | 54.4% | 54.2% | 55.7% | 54.3% | 56.7% | 57.2% | 58.5% | 59.9% |
Native American or Alaska Native Graduates | 51.8% | 41.2% | 49.5% | 44.0% | 46.0% | 50.5% | 43.6% | 42.2% | 52.3% |
Native American or Alaska Native Men | 56.8% | 50.0% | 66.0% | 44.4% | 45.0% | 42.9% | 46.5% | 51.1% | 56.1% |
Native American or Alaska Native Women | 46.2% | 35.8% | 36.5% | 42.3% | 49.1% | 58.8% | 41.8% | 37.3% | 50.8% |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Graduates | 39.3% | 36.7% | 41.7% | 37.1% | 41.0% | 51.5% | 48.8% | 44.7% | 40.9% |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Men | 43.5% | 33.3% | 38.1% | 33.3% | 44.4% | 53.9% | 47.4% | 25.0% | 42.9% |
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander Women | 36.4% | 40.7% | 46.7% | 36.8% | 38.1% | 48.7% | 45.5% | 62.5% | 45.8% |
Multiracial Graduates | 49.0% | 50.2% | 49.6% | 56.7% | 55.1% | 57.6% | 57.4% | 56.5% | 58.3% |
Multiracial Men | 48.9% | 52.6% | 50.5% | 60.5% | 60.4% | 59.7% | 60.1% | 59.0% | 58.9% |
Multiracial Women | 49.3% | 47.7% | 49.2% | 53.9% | 52.4% | 56.5% | 55.9% | 56.1% | 57.9% |
Source: NALP Employment Report and Salary Survey, 2015-2023
Note: Data are not reported out separately by race/ethnicity for gender non-binary graduates and graduates who chose to self-identify their gender due to the small number of graduates.