Comparing Average Attorney Salaries by State: Raw Figures vs. Cost of Living Adjusted

Are you an attorney wondering how your salary compares to the industry? Or, a law student thinking about where to practice? Perhaps you’re a seasoned attorney considering a move? If income matters, this information might be a surprise.

Below is a list ranking average attorney salary by state and another list ranking average attorney salary by state adjusted for cost of living. We can draw plenty of conclusions from this information, but we’ll leave all of that to you…

Average Attorney Salary by State:

1. District of Columbia – $182,050
2. New York – $166,110
3. California – $165,590
4. Massachusetts – $150,510
5. New Jersey – $149,020
6. Connecticut – $145,160
7. Virginia – $144,050
8. Texas – $142,960
9. Colorado – $142,840
10. Pennsylvania – $142,750
11. Maryland – $141,900
12. Delaware – $140,720
13. Washington – $140,590
14. Illinois – $140,470
15. Oregon – $139,680
16. Florida – $138,470
17. Minnesota – $138,160
18. Georgia – $137,720
19. Nevada – $137,040
20. Arizona – $136,870
21. Alaska – $135,000
22. Rhode Island – $134,450
23. North Carolina – $134,260
24. Michigan – $132,210
25. Utah – $132,020
26. Ohio – $131,120
27. New Hampshire – $130,740
28. Wisconsin – $130,510
29. Tennessee – $130,000
30. Louisiana – $128,810
31. Missouri – $128,470
32. Alabama – $127,750
33. South Carolina – $127,480
34. Hawaii – $126,980
35. Iowa – $126,160
36. Kentucky – $126,030
37. Indiana – $125,740
38. Kansas – $125,160
39. Nebraska – $124,760
40. New Mexico – $124,220
41. Maine – $124,070
42. Arkansas – $123,890
43. Vermont – $123,680
44. Oklahoma – $122,440
45. West Virginia – $121,930
46. Idaho – $121,310
47. Mississippi – $120,960
48. South Dakota – $120,380
49. Montana – $120,100
50. North Dakota – $118,760
51. Wyoming – $116,980

Salary Adjusted by Cost of Living Index:

1. Texas – $156,240 (Index: 91.5)
2. Georgia – $151,841 (Index: 90.7)
3. Michigan – $147,720 (Index: 89.5)
4. Tennessee – $146,561 (Index: 88.7)
5. Illinois – $145,264 (Index: 96.7)
6. Missouri – $144,837 (Index: 88.7)
7. Virginia – $143,525 (Index: 101.0)
8. Pennsylvania – $142,607 (Index: 100.1)
9. Arkansas – $142,566 (Index: 86.9)
10. North Carolina – $141,924 (Index: 94.6)
11. Ohio – $141,293 (Index: 92.8)
12. Arizona – $141,103 (Index: 97.0)
13. Kentucky – $140,804 (Index: 89.6)
14. Mississippi – $140,488 (Index: 86.1)
15. Kansas – $140,157 (Index: 89.3)
16. Florida – $139,166 (Index: 99.5)
17. Alabama – $139,161 (Index: 91.8)
18. Oklahoma – $138,978 (Index: 88.1)
19. Indiana – $138,786 (Index: 90.6)
20. Iowa – $137,429 (Index: 91.8)
21. Louisiana – $137,178 (Index: 93.9)
22. Wisconsin – $136,374 (Index: 95.7)
23. Minnesota – $135,984 (Index: 101.6)
24. West Virginia – $135,931 (Index: 89.7)
25. Utah – $134,303 (Index: 98.3)
26. Delaware – $134,019 (Index: 105.0)
27. New Mexico – $133,858 (Index: 92.8)
28. Colorado – $132,874 (Index: 107.5)
29. Nebraska – $130,094 (Index: 95.9)
30. Wyoming – $129,260 (Index: 90.5)
31. South Carolina – $128,898 (Index: 98.9)
32. Idaho – $128,643 (Index: 94.3)
33. Nevada – $126,304 (Index: 108.5)
34. North Dakota – $126,234 (Index: 97.0)
35. Washington – $125,751 (Index: 111.8)
36. Maryland – $125,353 (Index: 120.7)
37. New Hampshire – $121,619 (Index: 107.5)
38. New Jersey – $121,352 (Index: 122.8)
39. South Dakota – $120,863 (Index: 99.6)
40. New York – $119,418 (Index: 139.1)
41. Oregon – $117,774 (Index: 118.6)
42. District of Columbia – $113,995 (Index: 159.7)
43. Massachusetts – $113,507 (Index: 132.6)
44. Connecticut – $112,440 (Index: 129.1)
45. Montana – $112,348 (Index: 106.9)
46. Rhode Island – $112,135 (Index: 119.9)
47. California – $109,156 (Index: 151.7)
48. Maine – $109,602 (Index: 113.2)
49. Alaska – $103,926 (Index: 129.9)
50. Vermont – $102,469 (Index: 120.7)
51. Hawaii – $65,018 (Index: 195.3)