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Occupational Outlook Handbook | All Occupations

Legal Occupations

Quick Stats | Earnings Graph | Area and Industry Statistics | Demographics | Union Statistics | Employee Tenure | Fatalities | Job Openings
  • Court Reporters
    • Job prospects are expected to be excellent as job openings continue to outnumber jobseekers.
    • Demand for real-time and broadcast captioning and translating will spur employment growth.
    • The amount of training required to become a court reporter varies with the type of reporting chosen.
    • Job opportunities should be best for those with certification.
  • Judges, Magistrates, and Other Judicial Workers
    • A bachelor's degree and work experience are the minimum requirements for a judgeship or magistrate position, but most workers filling these positions also have law degrees.
    • Overall employment is projected to grow about as fast as the average, but varies by occupational specialty.
    • Judges and magistrates are expected encounter competition for jobs because of the prestige associated with serving on the bench.

  • Lawyers
    • Competition for job openings should be keen because of the large number of students graduating from law school each year.
    • Formal requirements to become a lawyer generally include a 4-year college degree, 3 years of law school, and passing a written bar examination; however, some requirements may vary by State.
    • Competition for admission to most law schools is intense.
    • About 3 out of 4 lawyers practiced privately, either as partners in law firms or in solo practices.
  • Paralegals and Legal Assistants
    • About 7 out of 10 work for law firms; others work for corporate legal departments and government agencies.
    • Most entrants have an associate's degree in paralegal studies, or a bachelor's degree coupled with a certificate in paralegal studies.
    • Employment is projected to grow much faster than average, as employers try to reduce costs by hiring paralegals to perform tasks formerly carried out by lawyers.
    • Competition for jobs should continue; experienced, formally trained paralegals should have the best employment opportunities.
  • Legal and Related Workers, all other

Quick Stats

Legal support workers, all other

source: Employment Matrix; about this section

Earnings Graph

National Average and Percentile Annual Earnings, May 2005

Metropolitan area and State estimates.

source: Occupational Employment Statistics Program; about this section

Area and Industry Statistics

May 2005 Mean Annual Earnings and Employment, wage and salary workers

Legal occupations
— National
U.S.: $81,070
— by State
AL: $73,200
AK: $67,610
AZ: $71,270
AR: $53,220
CA: $95,250
CO: $77,000
CT: $87,830
DE: $86,000
DC: $112,500
FL: $75,990
GA: $78,490
HI: $65,360
ID: $69,560
IL: $100,160
IN: $58,300
IA: $64,810
KS: $58,450
LA: $64,870
ME: $67,960
MD: $72,380
MA: $91,850
MI: $80,650
MN: $84,230
MS: $60,530
MO: $71,610
MT: $47,180
NE: $67,650
NV: $79,110
NH: $69,620
NJ: $90,470
NM: $60,420
NY: $94,600
NC: $65,040
ND: $58,610
OH: $71,800
OK: $67,990
OR: $68,740
PA: $70,420
RI: $69,380
SC: $69,020
SD: $49,280
TN: $65,820
TX: $76,410
UT: $71,990
VT: $63,730
VA: $82,370
WA: $68,940
WV: $54,420
WI: $73,770
WY: $48,300
GU: $74,680
PR: $55,040
VI: $63,610
— by NAICS Industry Sector
21 $78,390
22 $109,230
23 $90,110
31-33 $111,800
42 $102,610
44-45 $47,040
48-49 $95,230
51 $100,740
52 $68,530
53 $66,990
54 $88,160
55 $103,840
56 $58,430
61 $77,450
62 $66,280
71 $106,650
72 $87,210
81 $77,240
92 $68,020
Also see State and Metropolitan Area and industry estimates of employment and percentile earnings for legal occupations.
Legal support workers, all other
— National
U.S.: $46,890
— by State
AL: $42,350
AK: $50,620
AZ: $43,380
AR: $40,130
CA: $48,740
CO: $44,320
CT: $51,880
DE: $43,130
DC: $62,540
FL: $40,680
GA: $48,700
HI: $42,080
ID: $34,720
IL: $46,320
IN: $42,250
IA: $40,470
KS: $40,440
LA: $40,010
ME: $42,900
MD: $43,010
MA: $44,260
MI: $38,400
MN: $47,510
MS: $43,720
MO: $41,810
MT: $43,450
NE: $44,080
NV: $39,900
NH: $45,970
NJ: $56,240
NM: $40,760
NY: $43,700
NC: $38,830
ND: $46,640
OH: $40,380
OK: $47,330
OR: $39,600
PA: $43,970
RI: $41,680
SC: $44,130
SD: $43,750
TN: $41,690
TX: $44,670
UT: $42,690
VT: $47,350
VA: $73,350
WA: $47,860
WV: $43,650
WI: $44,190
WY: $40,100
PR: $39,770
— by NAICS Industry Sector
31-33 $58,210
42 $35,040
44-45 $30,480
48-49 $46,760
51 $45,840
52 $47,260
53 $47,870
54 $44,080
55 $52,810
56 $36,560
61 $42,420
62 $34,910
81 $36,160
92 $47,480
Also see State and Metropolitan Area and industry estimates of employment and percentile earnings for legal support workers, all other.

Width of bars indicates mean annual wages; color of bars indicates employment.

source: Occupational Employment Statistics Program; about this section

Demographics

Legal occupations

  • Employed persons, 2004
    • Employed persons:
    1,554,000    		Percent of total
    WomenMenBlackAsianHispanic
    48.9% 51.1% 6.4% 3.0% 5.7%
  • Full-time wage and salary workers, 2004
     EmploymentMedian weekly earnings
    $W/M ratio
    Women
    (emp.) (earn.)    		 603,000$8450.541
    Men
    (emp.) (earn.)    		 508,000$1,561
    All workers
    (emp.) (earn.)    		 1,111,000$1,070 

source: Current Population Survey; about this section

Union Statistics

• Union affiliation of employed wage & salary workers
• Median weekly earnings of full-time wage & salary workers

Legal occupations

  • Employed wage and salary workers, 2005
    • Employed persons: 1,261,000
    Members of unionsRepresented by unions
    NumberPercentNumberPercent
    71,000 5.6% 83,000 6.6%
    more union employment statistics
  • Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers, 2005
    All full-time wage and salary workers $1,052
    — Members of unions$1,147
    — Represented by unions$1,155
    — Non-union$1,042
    more union earnings statistics

source: Current Population Survey; about this section

Employee Tenure

Median years of tenure with current employer for employed wage and salary workers, 2004

OccupationEmployee Tenure, median (years)
Legal occupations 4.1

source: Current Population Survey; about this section

Fatalities

2004 Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure

OccupationFatalities: Event or exposure
TotalTran.Viol.Cont.FallsExpo.Fires
Legal occupations 3------

source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities Program; about this section

Job Openings

Current job openings on craigslist.com

legal / paralegal jobs

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