NALP Bulletin, February 2009

Among Class of 2007 law school graduates, a total of 1,379 reported taking a job in state government, making this sector a small (less than 4% of the total) but nonetheless important source of jobs. Not surprisingly, the number of state government jobs has fluctuated over the years, reflecting fluctuations in states’ fiscal conditions. More consistently, however, only about 35-40% of these jobs are located in state capital cities, suggesting that students interested in state government jobs should not limit their searches to just these cities.

Overall, the number of state government job opportunities in state capital cities is less than in the late 1990s, but more than in 2002, even as the total number of jobs increased. However, individual cities may or may not follow this pattern, as the table on the opposite page shows. For example:

• Among cities that provided 50 or more total jobs to the Class of 2007, the percentage of jobs in state government was highest in Tallahassee, Lansing, and Harrisburg. Most state capitals, including such sizable cities as Atlanta, provide fewer than a dozen state government jobs.

• Opportunities have been relatively constant over time in cities such as Tallahassee, St. Paul, Raleigh, and Jackson.

• A few cities offered substantially more jobs in 2007 compared with 1997. Columbus, Sacramento, Phoenix, and Topeka are among them.

• A greater number of cities, however, have seen a decrease since 1997 or 2002. These include Boston, Albany, Austin, Harrisburg, and Madison.

• A number of state capitals offered few or no state government opportunities in 2007, and fewer in 2007 than in 2002 or 1997. Boise, Charleston, Oklahoma City, and Providence are among cities that offered a reasonable number of jobs overall but few in state government in 2007, and fewer than in 2002 or 1997.

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State Government Jobs in State Capitals -- Classes of 1997, 2002, and 2007

Source: NALP Employment Report and Salary Survey data for the class year.