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Becoming a lawyer takes years of hard work. The rewards can be immense in terms of career accomplishment and high income.
The latest figures from the US Department of Labor Statistics for the average legal salary in the US are available. The 2019 figures show that the national average salary for lawyers was $ 122,960 per year and the average salary for lawyers was $ 59.11 per hour. That's roughly three times the average wage – $ 19.14 an hour – for all of the jobs in the workforce combined.
The following are the average annual and hourly wages for lawyers and the number of jobs in each state and Washington, DC. We've ranked the states by annual wage, from lowest to highest average wage.
Note: Delaware is excluded because the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have legal pay data for the state.
50. Montana
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Average annual salary for lawyers: $ 83,030
Average hourly wages for lawyers: $ 39.92
employment: 2.060
49. Arkansas
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Average annual salary for lawyers: $ 94,000
Average hourly wage for lawyers: $ 45.19
Employment: 3,160
48. Mississippi
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 95,040
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 45.69
employment: 3.260
47. Wyoming
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 100,090
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 48.12
employment: 860
46. ​​West Virginia
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 102,040
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 49.06
employment: 2,470
45. Kentucky
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 102,980
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 49.51
employment: 6,030
44. New Mexico
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 103,290
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 49.66
employment: 3.560
43. Vermont
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: USD 104,790
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 50.38
employment: 1,090
42. Idaho
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 105,450
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 50.70
employment: 2.110
41. Maine
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 106,350
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 51.13
employment: 1.910
40. Louisiana
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 108,070
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 51.96
employment: 8,070
39. Hawaii
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 109,420
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 52.61
employment: 2.040
38. Missouri
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 109,820
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 52.80
employment: 10,840
37. Kansas
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 110,290
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 53.03
employment: 3.640
36. South Carolina
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 111,090
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 53.41
employment: 6.350
35. Indiana
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 111,790
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 53.75
employment: 8.220
34. South Dakota
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 112,810
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 54.23
employment: 880
33. Nebraska
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 112,860
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 54.26
employment: 2.930
32. North Dakota
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 113,280
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 54.46
employment: 1,040
31. Alabama
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 114,240
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 54.92
employment: 5,900
30. Alaska
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 115,260
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 55.41
employment: 1,050
29. Oklahoma
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 116,270
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 55.90
employment: 6.640
28. Michigan
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 116,310
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 55.92
employment: 14,320
27. Oregon
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 116,860
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 56.19
employment: 6.480
26. Iowa
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 119,700
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 57.55
employment: 3.360
25. Ohio
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 124,160
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 59.69
employment: 18.020
24. Tennessee
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 124,370
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 59.79
employment: 7.590
23. Minnesota
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 124,510
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 59.86
employment: 11,420
22. Rhode Island
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 124,600
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 59.90
employment: 1.780
21. New Hampshire
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 126,220
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 60.68
employment: 2,000
20. Wisconsin
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 129,440
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 62.23
employment: 7,970
19. Washington
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 129,550
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 62.28
employment: 11,910
18. Florida
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 130,010
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 62.50
employment: 47,900
17. Georgia
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 130,320
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 62.65
employment: 19,500
16. Nevada
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 131,190
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 63.07
employment: 4.630
15. North Carolina
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 133,290
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 64.08
employment: 13,620
14. Utah
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 134,770
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 64.80
employment: 5.310
13. Maryland
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 135,500
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 65.14
employment: 12,840
12. Arizona
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 136,170
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 65.47
employment: 9,960
11. Pennsylvania
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 142,890
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 68.70
employment: 24,840
10. Virginia
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 143,220
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 68.85
employment: 16,910
9. Texas
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 144,110
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 69.28
employment: 44,700
8. New Jersey
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 147,170
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 70.76
employment: 21.690
7. Colorado
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 150,630
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 72.42
employment: 14,320
6. Connecticut
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 154,610
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 74.33
employment: 7,600
5. Illinois
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 157,010
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 75.49
employment: 31.270
4. Massachusetts
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 164,800
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 79.23
employment: 18,750
3. New York
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 168,780
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 81.14
employment: 77.060
2. California
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 173,970
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 83.64
employment: 83,750
1. Washington, D.C.
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Average annual salary for a lawyer: $ 192,180
Average hourly wage for a lawyer: $ 92.39
employment: 30,960
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