Lawyers Salary in Los Angeles, CA (2024)
Lawyers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn a median of $205,900 per year ($98.99 per hour) based on 40,990 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +36.2% 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 Los Angeles, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49.22 | $102,370 | |
| 25th percentile | $62.70 | $130,420 | |
| Median | $98.99 | $205,900 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | — | — | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $130.10 | $270,610 |
How Los Angeles, CA compares
The local median of $205,900 runs +36.2% above the US median of $151,160 for this occupation; it pays 284.9% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($53,490); within the metro it ranks 3rd of 733 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA — this occupation | $205,900 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $151,160 | +36.2% |
| Los Angeles, CA — all occupations | $53,490 | +284.9% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $215,090 | -4.3% |
At a location quotient of 1.36, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 136% of the national share of these workers.
Low confidence The relative standard error is 15.2%, which is wide. This estimate is based on a small sample of workers in the metro, so the true figure could sit well outside the number shown.
Ranked 3rd of 733 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Los Angeles, CA
To put $205,900 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 3rd.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $235,930 | — |
| Chief Executives | $231,500 | 12,420 |
| Lawyers | $205,900 | 40,990 |
| Podiatrists | $193,510 | 370 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $191,410 | 24,260 |
| Nurse Midwives | $190,230 | 190 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $181,400 | 8,850 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $179,990 | — |
| Commercial Pilots | $177,300 | 2,110 |
| Dentists, General | $176,200 | 4,300 |
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 Los Angeles, CA?
The median annual wage is $205,900, or $99 per hour. That means half of the lawyers working in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $270,610.
Is lawyers pay in Los Angeles, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 284.9% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $53,490. 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 Los Angeles, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $205,900 the metro median is 36.2% 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 Los Angeles, CA?
BLS counts about 40,990 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 6.61 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.36, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 136% 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 4.6%). 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. This particular estimate carries a wide margin of error and should be read as a rough range.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.