Lawyers Salary in San Diego, CA (2024)
Lawyers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median of $165,000 per year ($79.33 per hour) based on 8,990 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +9.2% 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 San Diego, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37.85 | $78,730 | |
| 25th percentile | $51.78 | $107,700 | |
| Median | $79.33 | $165,000 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | $103.36 | $214,990 | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $93.11 | $193,670 |
How San Diego, CA compares
The local median of $165,000 runs +9.2% above the US median of $151,160 for this occupation; it pays 191.6% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($56,580); within the metro it ranks 15th of 653 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego, CA — this occupation | $165,000 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $151,160 | +9.2% |
| San Diego, CA — all occupations | $56,580 | +191.6% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $215,090 | -23.3% |
At a location quotient of 1.21, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 121% of the national share of these workers.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 9.8%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 10%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 15th of 653 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in San Diego, CA
To put $165,000 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 15th.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $220,840 | 50 |
| Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $215,010 | 170 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $205,650 | 180 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $199,590 | 2,630 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $193,370 | 7,620 |
| Podiatrists | $187,010 | 60 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $185,550 | 3,690 |
| Dentists, General | $176,970 | 1,950 |
| Marketing Managers | $171,590 | 4,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $169,230 | 3,200 |
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 San Diego, CA?
The median annual wage is $165,000, or $79 per hour. That means half of the lawyers working in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $193,670.
Is lawyers pay in San Diego, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 191.6% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $56,580. 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 San Diego, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $165,000 the metro median is 9.2% 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 San Diego, CA?
BLS counts about 8,990 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 5.86 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.21, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 121% 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 7.4%). 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.