- New York is the best state to be a lawyer, based on earnings, demand, existing employment, and current vacancies
- New Jersey and Florida take second and third, respectively
New research has revealed the best US states to be a lawyer, with New York coming out on top.
The study by law firm Federal-Lawyer.com analyzed several factors, including demand, earnings, existing employment, and job vacancies for lawyers in every state, to see which states it would be best to work in the field.
The Best US States to Be a Lawyer
New York
It found that New York is the best state to be a lawyer. This is based on the state having the highest salary for lawyers of any state, with $179,060, with 22.79% of this going towards rent on average.
The state also has a location quotient score of 1.95, meaning that the number of lawyers per 1,000 jobs is nearly double the national average. 0.73% of all job vacancies at the time of the study were for lawyers, the highest of all states.
There are also 123 searches for lawyers per 100,000 people from search terms like “lawyer near me” and “divorce lawyer”, which shows a strong demand for the role too.
New Jersey
Coming in second on the list is the state of New Jersey, which has a lawyer salary of $153,800, with only 17.17% of this going towards rent on average. Additionally, demand is high in the state for lawyers, with 158 searches per 100,000 people.
A strong job market is indicated by a location quotient of 1.21, just above the national average, and with 0.4% of all vacancies being for jobs in the field, there are still many more jobs to fill.
Florida
Florida takes third on the list, thanks to factors such as the strongest demand for lawyers of any state, with 212 searches per 100,000 people.
Additionally, 0.41% of all vacancies were for lawyer and attorney roles. This is combined with a strong existing job market with a location quotient of 1.32 and an average lawyer salary of $129,390, with 23.88% of this going towards rent.
Illinois
Fourth place goes to the state of Illinois. It comes in with an average lawyer salary of $148,280, with 13.35% of this going towards rent. The state also has a location quotient of 1.10, 136 lawyer searches per 100,000 people, and 0.35% of all job vacancies are for lawyer roles.
Connecticut
Rounding out the top five is Connecticut, which has a lawyer salary of $153,200, and just 11.63% of this salary goes towards rent on average.
There are also 138 lawyer searches per 100,000 people, which is scored alongside a location quotient of 1.07. In addition, 0.31% of all job vacancies in the state are for lawyer roles.
| # | State | Lawyer annual salary | Rent as % of earnings | Location quotient (1 = national average) | Lawyer job vacancies | Total job vacancies | % of Lawyer vacancies as total | Lawyer searches per 100k people |
| 1 | New York | $179,060 | 22.79% | 1.95 | 2,338 | 320,779 | 0.73% | 123 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $153,800 | 17.17% | 1.21 | 640 | 159,663 | 0.40% | 158 |
| 3 | Florida | $129,390 | 23.88% | 1.32 | 1,811 | 437,338 | 0.41% | 212 |
| 4 | Illinois | $148,280 | 13.35% | 1.10 | 875 | 248,587 | 0.35% | 136 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $153,200 | 11.63% | 1.07 | 231 | 74,607 | 0.31% | 138 |
| 6 | California | $176,610 | 20.38% | 1.13 | 3,520 | 580,624 | 0.61% | 98 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $92,410 | 14.28% | 0.75 | 46 | 10,641 | 0.43% | 122 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $148,770 | 17.34% | 1.21 | 91 | 22,243 | 0.41% | 113 |
| 9 | West Virginia | $107,380 | 10.05% | 0.76 | 76 | 30,735 | 0.25% | 142 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $133,330 | 13.73% | 0.96 | 713 | 273,259 | 0.26% | 156 |
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Federal-Lawyer.com said: “While a state can have good financial reasons to work in the field, it’s also important to note where there is a growing demand for legal advocates.
Additionally, with the list featuring some states you’d expect and some not, it shows that good careers are available outside some of the more major areas, and it will be interesting to see how these results progress over the next decade.“
