Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

23-1011 Lawyers

Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, and manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
516,220 1.3 % $51.83 $107,800 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $21.82 $29.78 $43.98 $66.89 (5)
Annual Wage (2) $45,380 $61,950 $91,490 $139,130 (5)

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Legal services 346,500 $54.77 $113,920 1 71
Local government (OES designation) 46,870 $36.42 $75,760 2 105
State government (OES designation) 33,310 $33.86 $70,430 3 107
Federal government (OES designation) 24,030 $48.76 $101,420 4 87
Management of companies and enterprises 10,480 $66.77 $138,880 5 28

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Agents and managers for public figures 40 $85.36 $177,540 83 1
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing 290 $84.52 $175,800 40 2
Computer systems design and related services (6) $81.20 $168,900 (6) 3
Other information services 40 $80.23 $166,870 85 4
Facilities support services (6) $76.53 $159,190 (6) 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
District of Columbia 23,570 $58.97 $122,650 3.965% 6
New York 61,660 $60.12 $125,040 0.746% 12
Massachusetts 18,560 $52.47 $109,140 0.585% 17
New Jersey 18,380 $52.68 $109,570 0.475% 21
Maryland 10,960 $41.83 $87,020 0.448% 25

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
California 58,450 $62.06 $129,080 0.403% 13
New York 61,660 $60.12 $125,040 0.746% 12
Missouri 10,240 $59.50 $123,750 0.390% 13
Utah 3,250 $59.42 $123,600 0.312% 10
District of Columbia 23,570 $58.97 $122,650 3.965% 6

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 34,600 $55.57 $115,590 1.284%
Tallahassee, FL MSA 1,850 $40.77 $84,810 1.178%
New York, NY PMSA 44,720 $65.76 $136,790 1.125%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 9,820 (5) (5) 1.006%
Trenton, NJ PMSA 1,860 $47.62 $99,060 0.892%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 3,770 (5) (5) 0.430%
Laredo, TX MSA 90 (5) (5) 0.120%
Danbury, CT PMSA 260 (5) (5) 0.292%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 9,820 (5) (5) 1.006%
Naples, FL MSA 450 $69.88 $145,350 0.397%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(5) This wage is equal to or greater than $70.00 per hour or $145,600 per year.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Legal Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 22, 2004