September 2021
Want to learn more about the entry-level job market for recent law school graduates? See NALP's annual Jobs & JDs report.
This information is being made available for prospective law school applicants and others interested in the starting salaries of new law school graduates.
| Employer or Job Type | Median Salary | Average Salary** | The Middle Half of Salaries Fall in a Range From: |
Most Frequently Reported Salaries*** | Percentage of Jobs Accounted for by this Employer or Job Type |
| Law firms — all | $130,000 | $129,310 | $72,500-190,000 | $190,000 (36.5%)/$60,000 (4.3%) | 56.8% |
| Law firm, 1-10 attorneys | 62,000 | 66,150 | 52,000-75,000 | 60,000 (13.5)/50,000 (9.7) | 18.6 |
| Law firm, 11-25 attorneys | 75,000 | 78,890 | 65,000-85,000 | 70,000 (10.3)/65,000 (9.2) | 6.2 |
| Law firm, 26-50 attorneys | 83,000 | 90,335 | 72,000-100,000 | 80,000 (10.9)/90,000 (8.8) | 3.5 |
| Law firm, 51-100 attorneys | 98,000 | 105,865 | 80,000-125,000 | 100,000 (8.2)/NC | 2.9 |
| Law firm, 101-250 attorneys | 125,000 | 130,235 | 93,000-170,000 | 190,000 (14.0)/100,000 (5.7) | 3.4 |
| Law firm, 251-500 attorneys | 180,000 | 159,480 | 134,000-190,000 | 190,000 (41.9)/150,000 (5.8) | 3.5 |
| Law firm, 501+ attorneys | 190,000* | 180,510 | 190,000-190,000* | 190,000 (78.2)/165,000 (3.1) | 17.3 |
| Business — all | 80,000 | 91,385 | 65,000-100,000 | 80,000 (5.9)/70,000 (5.8) | 10.5 |
| Jobs for which bar passage is required/anticipated | 80,000 | 88,075 | 70,000-100,000 | 80,000 (7.6)/ 0,000 (7.4) | 3.0 |
| Jobs for which JD is an advantage | 80,000 | 93,000 | 65,000-102,000 | 70,000, 80,000, and 90,000 (5.4 each) | 5.1 |
| Government — all | 64,000 | 65,040 | 52,900-72,000 | 50,000 (8.9)/60,000 (4.8) | 11.5 |
| Federal government | 72,000 | 74,675 | 61,630-84,685 | 72,000 (10.9)/70,000 (4.4) | 3.3 |
| State government | 55,000 | 57,715 | 50,000-64,000 | 50,000 (20.1)/60,000 (6.6) | 4.0 |
| Local government | 65,000 | 64,480 | 57,200-70,500 | 70,000 (6.6)/65,000 (6.2) | 4.1 |
| Prosecutorial jobs — all levels of government | 61,000 | 60,265 | 50,000-68,000 | 50,000 (15.9)/70,000 (6.0) | 4.6 |
| Military — JAG Corps | 65,000 | 65,695 | 47,550-78,000 | 45,000, 50,000, and 75,000 (6.3 each) | 0.9 |
| Judicial clerkships — all | 60,000 | 59,610 | 51,575-66,890 | 51,500 (8.4)/64,000 (5.5) | 10.9 |
| Federal courts | 66,560 | 67,190 | 64,000-71,000 | 64,000 (11.7)/64,500 (7.7) | 4.2 |
| State courts | 53,000 | 54,950 | 51,000-59,540 | 51,500 (14.6)/52,000 (5.7) | 6.0 |
| Local courts | 51,000 | 50,225 | 46,750-54,000 | 50,000 (12.5)/52,000 (11.6) | 0.7 |
| Public interest — all | 55,000 | 56,950 | 50,000-64,260 | 50,000 (14.6)/60,000 (6.8) | 8.7 |
| Legal services | 54,500 | 55,690 | 50,000-61,000 | 50,000 (14.1)/60,000 (8.2) | 3.3 |
| Public defenders | 56,000 | 57,660 | 50,000-65,000 | 50,000 (14.9)/45,000 (6.6) | 3.1 |
| Education — all | 55,090 | 59,850 | 46,075-68,000 | 50,000 (11.0)/55,000 (7.9) | 1.5 |
*Since so many salaries in this category were reported as $190,000, therefore $190,000 is best thought of as a prevailing salary and, with a few exceptions, the top salary.
**Averages are rounded to the nearest $5. A few medians and range figures were also rounded to the nearest $5.
***Salary figures were rounded to the nearest $500 for purposes of determining the most frequently reported salaries.
NC: Indicates a tie for the second most frequently occurring salary.
