United States · Pay by job
Legal jobs: pay and take-home
BLS counts 8 legal jobs, done by about 1,305,620 people. The best paid is lawyer at a median of $159,670; the most common is lawyer, at $159,670 (BLS, May 2025).
BLS group: Legal Occupations. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
What does each legal job pay?
| Job | Median pay | Take-home in Texas | People | Growth to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | $159,670 | $120,400 | 754,500 | +4.7% |
| Judge and Magistrate | $153,990 | $116,518 | 24,030 | +2.8% |
| Administrative Law Judge | $117,860 | $91,745 | 16,370 | 0% |
| Arbitrator and Mediator | $75,530 | $61,965 | 9,210 | +4.7% |
| Other Legal Support Worker | $72,110 | $59,559 | 46,760 | -0.3% |
| Judicial Law Clerk | $64,920 | $54,343 | 13,290 | +2.8% |
| Paralegal and Legal Assistant | $62,890 | $52,712 | 392,880 | -0.3% |
| Title Examiner | $58,650 | $49,305 | 48,580 | +2.1% |
Take-home is for a single filer on the national median (hourly-only jobs: 2,080 hours), after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare for 2026; Texas has no state income tax. Each job’s page has every state.
What do other kinds of jobs pay?
- Management 37 jobs
- Business and Finance 32 jobs
- Computer and Math 21 jobs
- Architecture and Engineering 36 jobs
- Science 48 jobs
- Community and Social Service 17 jobs
- Education and Library 64 jobs
- Arts, Design, Sports and Media 41 jobs
- Healthcare Practitioners 71 jobs
- Healthcare Support 17 jobs
- Protective Service 24 jobs
- Food Service 17 jobs
- Cleaning and Grounds 10 jobs
- Personal Care and Service 32 jobs
- Sales 22 jobs
- Office and Admin Support 54 jobs
- Farming, Fishing and Forestry 13 jobs
- Construction and Extraction 60 jobs
- Installation, Maintenance and Repair 51 jobs
- Production 105 jobs
- Transportation and Material Moving 50 jobs
Search every job: pay by job.
Questions about legal pay
What is the highest-paying legal job?
Lawyer, with a median of $159,670 (BLS, May 2025). Next come judge and magistrate ($153,990) and administrative law judge ($117,860).
What is the most common legal job?
Lawyer: about 754,500 people across the US, with a median of $159,670.
Which legal jobs are growing fastest?
BLS expects the most growth from 2025 to 2035 in lawyer (+4.7%), arbitrator and mediator (+4.7%), judicial law clerk (+2.8%).
What do legal jobs pay after tax?
On the median pay, a single filer in Texas keeps $120,400 a year as lawyer and $120,400 as lawyer, after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Each job’s page works it out for 19 states.
What education do legal jobs need?
For 4 of the 8 jobs here, BLS lists “doctoral or professional degree” as the usual education. Each job’s page gives its own.