Lawyers Salary in New York, NY (2024)
Lawyers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn a median of $203,450 per year ($97.81 per hour) based on 93,730 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +34.6% 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 New York, NY, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40.22 | $83,650 | |
| 25th percentile | $60.26 | $125,350 | |
| Median | $97.81 | $203,450 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | — | — | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $103.90 | $216,120 |
How New York, NY compares
The local median of $203,450 runs +34.6% above the US median of $151,160 for this occupation; it pays 236.5% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($60,460); within the metro it ranks 12th of 750 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY — this occupation | $203,450 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $151,160 | +34.6% |
| New York, NY — all occupations | $60,460 | +236.5% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $215,090 | -5.4% |
New York, NY has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.06 means the job is roughly 206% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 3.2%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 12th of 750 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in New York, NY
To put $203,450 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 12th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $230,130 | 1,520 |
| Psychiatrists | $229,630 | 3,680 |
| Commercial Pilots | $224,840 | 1,270 |
| Radiologists | $219,900 | 1,870 |
| Financial Managers | $216,520 | 77,970 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $216,420 | 900 |
| Surgeons, All Other | $215,640 | 4,130 |
| Neurologists | $214,820 | 920 |
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | $214,630 | 570 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $212,400 | 56,180 |
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 New York, NY?
The median annual wage is $203,450, or $98 per hour. That means half of the lawyers working in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $216,120.
Is lawyers pay in New York, NY above the local average?
Yes, it is 236.5% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $60,460. 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 New York, NY pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $203,450 the metro median is 34.6% 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 New York, NY?
BLS counts about 93,730 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 10.01 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. New York, NY has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 2.06 means the job is roughly 206% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 3.0%). 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.