Lawyers Salary in Detroit, MI (2024)
Lawyers in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area earn a median of $128,060 per year ($61.57 per hour) based on 9,460 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -15.3% 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 Detroit, MI, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31.80 | $66,150 | |
| 25th percentile | $43.91 | $91,340 | |
| Median | $61.57 | $128,060 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $81.05 | $168,580 | |
| 90th percentile | $113.16 | $235,380 | |
| Average (mean) | $69.97 | $145,540 |
How Detroit, MI compares
The local median of $128,060 runs -15.3% below the US median of $151,160 for this occupation; it pays 152.4% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($50,740); within the metro it ranks 29th of 657 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI — this occupation | $128,060 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $151,160 | -15.3% |
| Detroit, MI — all occupations | $50,740 | +152.4% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $215,090 | -40.5% |
The location quotient of 1.02 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 5.8%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 6%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 29th of 657 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Detroit, MI
To put $128,060 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 29th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $230,450 | 1,590 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $230,060 | 730 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $218,340 | 2,470 |
| Physicists | $188,400 | 150 |
| Pediatricians, General | $182,040 | 350 |
| Dentists, General | $179,130 | 1,950 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $167,890 | 8,720 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $166,010 | 7,990 |
| Sales Managers | $157,900 | 8,260 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $151,390 | 470 |
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 Detroit, MI?
The median annual wage is $128,060, or $62 per hour. That means half of the lawyers working in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $145,540.
What do the highest and lowest paid lawyers in Detroit, MI earn?
The bottom 10% earn $66,150 or less, while the top 10% earn $235,380 or more — a spread of $169,230 between the two ends of the distribution. The middle half of workers sit between $91,340 and $168,580.
Is lawyers pay in Detroit, MI above the local average?
Yes, it is 152.4% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $50,740. 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 Detroit, MI pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $128,060 the metro median is 15.3% lower 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 Detroit, MI?
BLS counts about 9,460 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 4.95 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. The location quotient of 1.02 is close to 1.0: the occupation's share of local employment tracks the national average.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 5.4%). 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.