Data current as of August 2026 · sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET
Yearly Monthly Biweekly Weekly Hourly
Average base salary, Connecticut
$192,500 / year
≈ $16,050 per month · $92.55 per hour
Location United States (national) Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Or metro area Metro area… Abilene, TX Aguadilla, PR Akron, OH Alaska nonmetropolitan area Albany, GA Albany, OR Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Albuquerque, NM Alexandria, LA Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Altoona, PA Amarillo, TX Ames, IA Amherst Town-Northampton, MA Anchorage, AK Ann Arbor, MI Anniston-Oxford, AL Appleton, WI Arecibo, PR Arizona nonmetropolitan area Asheville, NC Athens-Clarke County, GA Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ Auburn-Opelika, AL Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Bakersfield-Delano, CA Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Bangor, ME Barnstable Town, MA Baton Rouge, LA Battle Creek, MI Bay City, MI Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Beckley, WV Bellingham, WA Bend, OR Billings, MT Binghamton, NY Birmingham, AL Bismarck, ND Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA Bloomington, IL Bloomington, IN Boise City, ID Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Bowling Green, KY Bozeman, MT Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Brunswick-St. Simons, GA Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Burlington, NC Burlington-South Burlington, VT Canton-Massillon, OH Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL Cape Girardeau, MO-IL Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area Carson City, NV Casper, WY Cedar Rapids, IA Central East New York nonmetropolitan area Central Indiana nonmetropolitan area Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Central Oregon nonmetropolitan area Central Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Chambersburg, PA Champaign-Urbana, IL Charleston, WV Charleston-North Charleston, SC Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Charlottesville, VA Chattanooga, TN-GA Cheyenne, WY Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Chico, CA Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Clarksville, TN-KY Cleveland, OH Cleveland, TN Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Coeur d'Alene, ID College Station-Bryan, TX Colorado Springs, CO Columbia, MO Columbia, SC Columbus, GA-AL Columbus, IN Columbus, OH Connecticut nonmetropolitan area Corpus Christi, TX Corvallis, OR Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Dalton, GA Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH Decatur, AL Decatur, IL Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Dothan, AL Dubuque, IA Duluth, MN-WI Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Eagle Pass, TX East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area Eastern Oregon nonmetropolitan area Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area Eau Claire, WI El Centro, CA El Paso, TX Elizabethtown, KY Elmira, NY Enid, OK Erie, PA Eugene-Springfield, OR Evansville, IN Fairbanks-College, AK Fargo, ND-MN Farmington, NM Fayetteville, NC Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR Flagstaff, AZ Flint, MI Florence, SC Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL Fond du Lac, WI Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Fort Smith, AR-OK Fort Wayne, IN Fresno, CA Gadsden, AL Gainesville, FL Gettysburg, PA Glens Falls, NY Goldsboro, NC Grand Forks, ND-MN Grand Island, NE Grand Junction, CO Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Grants Pass, OR Great Falls, MT Greeley, CO Green Bay, WI Greensboro-High Point, NC Greenville, NC Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Hammond, LA Hanford-Corcoran, CA Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Harrisonburg, VA Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Hattiesburg, MS Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area Helena, MT Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC High Desert Utah nonmetropolitan area Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC Hinesville, GA Homosassa Springs, FL Hot Springs, AR Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH Huntsville, AL Idaho Falls, ID Iowa City, IA Ithaca, NY Jackson, MS Jackson, TN Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville, NC Janesville-Beloit, WI Jefferson City, MO Johnson City, TN Johnstown, PA Jonesboro, AR Joplin, MO-KS Kahului-Wailuku, HI Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Kankakee, IL Kansas City, MO-KS Kansas nonmetropolitan area Kennewick-Richland, WA Kenosha, WI Killeen-Temple, TX Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Kingston, NY Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY Knoxville, TN Kokomo, IN La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Lafayette, LA Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN Lake Charles, LA Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Lancaster, PA Lansing-East Lansing, MI Laredo, TX Las Cruces, NM Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV Lawrence, KS Lawton, OK Lebanon, PA Lewiston, ID-WA Lewiston-Auburn, ME Lexington Park, MD Lexington-Fayette, KY Lima, OH Lincoln, NE Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR Logan, UT-ID Longview, TX Longview-Kelso, WA Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Lower East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area Lower West Mississippi nonmetropolitan area Lubbock, TX Lynchburg, VA Macon-Bibb County, GA Madison, WI Manchester-Nashua, NH Manhattan, KS Mankato, MN Mansfield, OH Maryland nonmetropolitan area Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Medford, OR Memphis, TN-MS-AR Merced, CA Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Michigan City-La Porte, IN Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area Midland, TX Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Minot, ND Missoula, MT Mobile, AL Modesto, CA Monroe, LA Monroe, MI Montgomery, AL Morgantown, WV Morristown, TN Muncie, IN Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Napa, CA Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN New Haven, CT New Orleans-Metairie, LA New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Niles, MI North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area North Florida nonmetropolitan area North Missouri nonmetropolitan area North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area Northeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Northeast Nebraska nonmetropolitan area Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northeastern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Northeastern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area Northern Michigan nonmetropolitan area Northern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area Northwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Northwestern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT Odessa, TX Ogden, UT Oklahoma City, OK Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Omaha, NE-IA Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Owensboro, KY Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Paducah, KY-IL Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL Parkersburg-Vienna, WV Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL Peoria, IL Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC Pittsburgh, PA Pittsfield, MA Pocatello, ID Port St. Lucie, FL Portland-South Portland, ME Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT Pueblo, CO Punta Gorda, FL Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI Raleigh-Cary, NC Rapid City, SD Reading, PA Redding, CA Reno, NV Richmond, VA Roanoke, VA Rochester, MN Rochester, NY Rockford, IL Rocky Mount, NC Rome, GA Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Saginaw, MI Salem, OR Salinas, CA Salisbury, MD Salt Lake City-Murray, UT San Angelo, TX San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Sandusky, OH Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Santa Fe, NM Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA Savannah, GA Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL Sebring, FL Sheboygan, WI Sherman-Denison, TX Shreveport-Bossier City, LA Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Sioux Falls, SD-MN Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area South Florida nonmetropolitan area South Georgia nonmetropolitan area South Illinois nonmetropolitan area South Nebraska nonmetropolitan area Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Southeast-Central Idaho nonmetropolitan area Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area Southern Michigan nonmetropolitan area Southern Ohio nonmetropolitan area Southern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area Southern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area Southwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area Southwestern New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area Southwestern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area Spartanburg, SC Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA Springfield, IL Springfield, MA Springfield, MO Springfield, OH St. Cloud, MN St. George, UT St. Joseph, MO-KS St. Louis, MO-IL State College, PA Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA Stockton-Lodi, CA Sumter, SC Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area Syracuse, NY Tallahassee, FL Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Terre Haute, IN Texarkana, TX-AR Toledo, OH Topeka, KS Traverse City, MI Trenton-Princeton, NJ Tucson, AZ Tulsa, OK Tuscaloosa, AL Twin Falls, ID Tyler, TX Upper East Mississippi nonmetropolitan area Upper Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area Urban Honolulu, HI Utica-Rome, NY Valdosta, GA Vallejo, CA Victoria, TX Vineland, NJ Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Visalia, CA Waco, TX Walla Walla, WA Warner Robins, GA Wasatch Front Fringe Utah nonmetropolitan area Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Waterbury-Shelton, CT Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Watertown-Fort Drum, NY Wausau, WI Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA West Arkansas nonmetropolitan area West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area West Delta Mississippi nonmetropolitan area West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area West Montana nonmetropolitan area West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area Western Washington nonmetropolitan area Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area Wheeling, WV-OH Wichita Falls, TX Wichita, KS Wildwood-The Villages, FL Williamsport, PA Wilmington, NC Winchester, VA-WV Winston-Salem, NC Worcester, MA Yakima, WA York-Hanover, PA Youngstown-Warren, OH Yuba City, CA Yuma, AZ Or industry Industry… Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Legal Services Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) Management of Companies and Enterprises Management of Companies and Enterprises Insurance Carriers and Related Activities Insurance Carriers BLS May 2025 state data for Connecticut · median $169,500
25th percentile$113,500 Average$192,500 75th percentile$230,500
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
About this role
Lawyer is a professional role within the function in the Legal job family.
The Legal function covers advising the business on contracts, regulation, governance, disputes, and risk.
Pay for this title reflects both its level and its scope; see our Title Level and Organization Responsibility guides for how WePayFairly defines them.
What Lawyers do
Typical education: Doctoral Degree
Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses.
Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents.
Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case.
Represent clients in court or before government agencies.
Evaluate findings and develop strategies and arguments in preparation for presentation of cases.
Top skills: Speaking Reading Comprehension Critical Thinking Active Listening Writing Judgment and Decision Making
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Lawyer pay by experience level
Entry level $81,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career $106,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced $165,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior $229,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners $364,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+4.1%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
31,500
projected openings per year
Growing about as fast as average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Lawyer salary by industry
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
471,640 workers
$200,000 Legal Services
448,040 workers
$198,000 Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
160,180 workers
$146,000 Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
67,050 workers
$143,500 State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
52,910 workers
$125,500 Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
40,220 workers
$177,000 Management of Companies and Enterprises
24,980 workers
$253,500 Management of Companies and Enterprises
24,980 workers
$253,500 Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
18,340 workers
$191,500 Insurance Carriers
12,060 workers
$193,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
How this role compares
Lawyer pays 42% above the average across 1,680 roles in the Legal job family (family average $135,500).
Similar-paying roles in Legal
Careers related to Lawyer
Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Lawyer make?
The average base salary for a Lawyer in the United States is $192,500 per year, or about $92.55 per hour.
What is the typical salary range?
Pay typically falls between $106,500 and $229,000 per year (25th to 75th percentile) depending on experience, location, industry, and organization size.
How does this compare with other Legal roles?
The Legal job family averages $135,500 across 1,680 roles tracked by WePayFairly.
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