How many US lawyers are there?
Asked by: Prof. Araceli Bahringer II | Last update: September 20, 2025Score: 4.8/5 (23 votes)
2024 Statistics on the Number of Lawyers in the U.S. Here are the latest stats for the legal industry in 2024. Total Count of Lawyers (Latest Figures): According to the ABA National Lawyer Population Survey conducted by the American Bar Association, there are over 1,330,000 active lawyers in the United States.
What percent of lawyers make $500,000?
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay for lawyers in 2022 was $135,740, with only the top 1% surpassing the $500,000 mark.
How many US attorneys are there in the US?
There are currently 93 United States Attorneys: one for each of the 94 federal judicial districts, except for Guam and the Northern Marianas, where a single U.S. Attorney serves both districts.
How many people have a law degree in the US?
The total number of lawyers in the United States has seen a steady increase over the last few years. In 2024, there were approximately 1.32 million active lawyers. This total was slightly lower when compared to the previous year, and not much above the 2015 figure of 1.3 million.
How many criminal lawyers are there in the US?
Criminal Defense Attorney Statistics
According to job recruiter Zippia, there are more than 252,159 criminal defense lawyers in the U.S. as of 2023.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey faces MPs questions at Treasury committee
What percentage of lawyers are millionaires?
There are 4100 biglaw attorneys who rake in a million a year or more, which is 0.31% of all attorneys; the 100 highest paid GCs average $2.7 million per year, and there are easily just as many solo or small-firm attorneys who also make that much.
What type of lawyer makes the most money?
Patent Attorney Salary
Patent attorneys are the highest-paid type of lawyers, with an average salary of $185,351, ranging from $119,88 to $285,530. Various factors contribute to a patent attorney's average salary, including experience, firm, location, and subject matter expertise.
What percent of people fail law school?
The 2023 law school attrition rate was 3.8 percent, varying across demographics and institutions. This article delves into the types of attrition, the schools with the highest rates, and the impact of these rates on student choices and institutional policies.
What state has the least lawyers?
- Wyoming (1,673)
- North Dakota (1,694)
- South Dakota (2,027)
- Vermont (2,198)
- Alaska (2,268)
What is a state attorney's salary?
State Attorney. State of California. $113K - $174K. /yr. $140K.
How powerful are US attorneys?
As chief federal law enforcement officers, U.S. attorneys have authority over all federal law enforcement personnel within their districts and may direct them to engage, cease or assist in investigations.
What percentage of the U.S. is lawyers?
One-fourth of all the lawyers in the country are in just two states: New York (187,656 lawyers) and California (175,883 lawyers). Combined, they have 28% of the nation's lawyers, according to the 2024 ABA National Lawyer Population Survey. North Dakota has the fewest lawyers among the 50 states: 1,663.
How rich is the average lawyer?
In general, the five highest-paying states for lawyers are as follows: California ($201,530) Massachusetts ($196,230) New York ($188,900)
Can lawyers make 7 figures?
Corporate Lawyer (Partner)
Though that's far from pocket change, it's certainly not landing you in the earnings tier of a millionaire. That said, corporate lawyers generally stand to make the most and can pull in seven figures a year — if they make partner.
What is the hardest state to become a lawyer?
California is widely considered to have the hardest bar exam, due to its low pass rate and the difficulty of the content and constraints of the exam.
How many Americans have a law degree?
Did you know there are 1.3 million lawyers in the United States – and 1 in 4 are in just two states (New York and California)? Did you know nearly half of all law school graduates take jobs at law firms, but 12% go to work for the government and 1% start a solo practice?
What is the lowest paid lawyer?
We find that within the legal industry, certain segments are known to offer lower compensation. Typically, public defenders, legal aid attorneys, and lawyers working for nonprofit organizations are among the lowest paid.
What's the hardest year of law school?
Law school is an academic challenge; most students agree the first year (“1L” year) is the most difficult. In part, this is because law school is taught using methods entirely different than the lecture method used in most college classrooms.
How hard is it to pass the bar without law school?
Pass Rate. The bar exam pass rate of an apprentice is about ⅓ of that of a student who attends an ABA approved law school, according to a study by Priceconomics. With a passing rate of approximately 27% for apprentices, it is clear there are topics that can be missed, that a traditional law school is sure to cover.
Can lawyers make 300k a year?
Well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for attorneys in the US is just over $125,000. The highest-paid lawyers (10% of the legal workforce) make over $208,000 However, the top 1% of attorneys make $500,000 or more per year.
What field of law is most in demand?
- Intellectual property law. ...
- Family law. ...
- Immigration & naturalization law. ...
- Real estate law. ...
- Contract management. ...
- Compliance. ...
- Labor and employment. ...
- Corporate transactions. Also known as mergers and acquisitions, or M&A, this work navigates the buying and selling of companies and their assets.
What is the highest paying job in the world?
Topping the list, being a CEO gets you the highest paying job in the world, no matter where you work. A CEO is the highest-ranked position in any organisation's structure. Irrespective of the company's size, a CEO handles all its day-to-day corporate affairs, manages resources and handles all managerial processes.