Lawyers Salary in Chicago, IL (2024)
Lawyers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn a median of $166,090 per year ($79.85 per hour) based on 28,380 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +9.9% against the national median of $151,160 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where lawyers actually sit across the pay range in Chicago, IL, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38.89 | $80,900 | |
| 25th percentile | $50.31 | $104,650 | |
| Median | $79.85 | $166,090 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $107.87 | $224,360 | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $89.56 | $186,270 |
How Chicago, IL compares
The local median of $166,090 runs +9.9% above the US median of $151,160 for this occupation; it pays 222.4% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($51,510); within the metro it ranks 9th of 700 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL — this occupation | $166,090 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $151,160 | +9.9% |
| Chicago, IL — all occupations | $51,510 | +222.4% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $215,090 | -22.8% |
At a location quotient of 1.31, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 131% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 3.8%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 9th of 700 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Chicago, IL
To put $166,090 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 9th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $234,440 | 1,420 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $221,790 | 80 |
| Physicians, All Other | $215,680 | 14,850 |
| Pediatricians, General | $198,440 | 1,120 |
| Air Traffic Controllers | $184,930 | 840 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $182,830 | 1,200 |
| Dentists, General | $175,140 | 3,980 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $168,230 | 21,760 |
| Lawyers | $166,090 | 28,380 |
| Financial Managers | $164,470 | 41,170 |
Where lawyers earn the most
Across the 24 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $125,380 to $215,090. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $215,090 | 16,940 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $205,900 | 40,990 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $203,450 | 93,730 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $194,740 | 18,900 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $191,880 | 48,170 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $180,940 | 12,590 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $166,090 | 28,380 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $165,000 | 8,990 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $162,680 | 9,440 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $161,420 | 5,600 |
See the full national picture on the Lawyers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for lawyers in Chicago, IL?
The median annual wage is $166,090, or $80 per hour. That means half of the lawyers working in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $186,270.
Is lawyers pay in Chicago, IL above the local average?
Yes, it is 222.4% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $51,510. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Chicago, IL pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $166,090 the metro median is 9.9% higher than the US median of $151,160 for lawyers. Across the 24 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $125,380 to $215,090.
How many lawyers work in Chicago, IL?
BLS counts about 28,380 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 6.34 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.31, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 131% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 5.8%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.