What are the top lawyer statistics?
That’s what you’ll learn today. These statistics show you exactly how many lawyers there are, how much the industry is growing, and more.
Want to learn more? Read on.
Overview of the top lawyer statistics in 2024
- There are more than 1.3 million lawyers in the US alone.
- The US law industry is projected to grow by 4% over the next ten years.
- There are 450,000 law firms across the United States.
- On average, lawyers earn $135,470 per year.
- The average lawyer in America charges $300 per hour for their services.
- 35,000 students graduate from law school every year.
- 38% of attorneys are women.
- Just 14% of lawyers are certified members of the American Bar Association.
- Black lawyers account for just 5% of the total attorney population in the US.
- 75% of lawyers work in the private sector.
- 1 in 4 lawyers work in California or New York.
How many lawyers are there in the US in 2024?
There are over 1.3 million lawyers in the US.
(InfoBloom, iLawyer Marketing, Clio, GoRemotely, ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
According to research by the American Bar Association (ABA), there are 1,327,910 lawyers in the United States alone. That’s about four lawyers for every 1,000 residents or roughly one lawyer for every 300 American residents.
But they’re not all active – about 4% are inactive or retired.
With a location quotient of 3.23, Washington, DC, has the highest demand for lawyers. That’s more than three times the national average.
Other metro areas with high demand include Tallahassee, Florida; Miami, Florida; New York, New York; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Areas with the lowest demand are Elkhart, Indiana; Sheboygan, Wisconsin; and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
The number of US lawyers grew by 5% between 2013 and 2023.
(ABA Profile of the Legal Profession, Clio, American Bar Association)
In total, the number of lawyers in the US increased by more than 63,000.
Between 2022 and 2023, there was an increase of just 4,000 lawyers – or less than a 1% increase. The most growth happened in Florida, Washington, DC, and Ohio.
But not to worry: the number of jobs available for lawyers is expected to grow by 4% in the next ten years. In fact, ABA data shows that among students who graduated law school in 2022, 98.9% were employed within ten months of graduation.
Of those, 78% were in a position that required bar passage.
More than 1 in 4 lawyers live in just two states: New York and California.
(ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
With 188,341 lawyers in 2023, New York has the largest number of lawyers in the US. That’s nearly 10 per resident.
It’s followed closely by California, which is home to 170,959.
The states with the most lawyers are:
- New York (188,341)
- California (170,959)
- Texas (96,827)
- Florida (84,594)
- Illinois (62,201)
On the other hand, Wyoming has the fewest lawyers, with just 1,673.
The states with the least number of lawyers are:
- Wyoming (1,673)
- North Dakota (1,694)
- South Dakota (2,027)
- Vermont (2,198)
- Alaska (2,268)
You can see the complete list in this table:
| State | Number of Lawyers in 2023 |
| Alabama | 12,195 |
| Alaska | 2,268 |
| Arizona | 15,506 |
| Arkansas | 6,808 |
| California | 170,959 |
| Colorado | 22,802 |
| Connecticut | 21,036 |
| Delaware | 3,058 |
| Florida | 84,594 |
| Georgia | 33,890 |
| Hawaii | 4,122 |
| Idaho | 4,098 |
| Illinois | 62,201 |
| Indiana | 15,485 |
| Iowa | 7,258 |
| Kansas | 7,858 |
| Kentucky | 13,600 |
| Louisiana | 19,566 |
| Maine | 4,002 |
| Maryland | 26,020 |
| Massachusetts | 42,635 |
| Michigan | 34,577 |
| Minnesota | 26,065 |
| Mississippi | 6,736 |
| Missouri | 24,613 |
| Montana | 3,201 |
| Nebraska | 5,689 |
| Nevada | 7,498 |
| New Hampshire | 3,451 |
| New Jersey | 40,078 |
| New Mexico | 5,411 |
| New York | 188,341 |
| North Carolina | 26,274 |
| North Dakota | 1,694 |
| Ohio | 37,717 |
| Oklahoma | 13,415 |
| Oregon | 12,196 |
| Pennsylvania | 48,174 |
| Rhode Island | 4,081 |
| South Carolina | 11,090 |
| South Dakota | 2,027 |
| Tennessee | 19,583 |
| Texas | 96,827 |
| Utah | 8,581 |
| Vermont | 2,198 |
| Virginia | 23,855 |
| Washington | 26,300 |
| West Virginia | 4,673 |
| Wisconsin | 15,192 |
| Wyoming | 1,673 |
36,078 students graduated from law school in 2022.
(American Bar Association, ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
This number reflects a slight increase from 2021, when there were 35,712 graduates. The number of law school graduates has steadily increased each year, up from 33,954 in 2019.
Interestingly, the ABA notes that 2022 saw a dip in enrollment at accredited schools for the first time since 2017.
Likewise, law schools saw an 11% drop in enrollment in 2022, when just 38,020 students began their studies, compared to 42,718 in 2021.
72% of test takers pass the bar on their first try.
(ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
In 2022, 72% of first-time test takers passed the bar. Of those who took it again, only 28% passed.
Utah is the state with the highest passing rate, at 89%. Rhode Island has the lowest, at 58%.
2008 saw the highest first-time pass rate at 82%, and this number has fluctuated since. In 2018, just 69% passed on their first try, increasing to 76% in 2020.
A student’s legal education plays a significant role in their scores. Of those who attended an ABA-accredited school, 64% passed; 38% of those who studied at a law office passed; 36% of those who attended law school outside of the US passed; and just 20% of those who attended a non-ABA-accredited law school passed.
39% of all lawyers are women.
(ABA Profile of the Legal Profession, NALP)
That’s up from 34% in 2013.
Every year, the number of female lawyers has risen by at least 1%. The numbers rose the most quickly between the 80s and 90s: 8% were female in 1980, 20% in 1991, and 29% in 2000.
Despite these numbers, just 26% of partners at major law firms are women.
Pay is off-balance, too: 2% of law firms say that their highest-paid attorney is a woman, down from 8% in 2005.
On average, women receive 95% of the salary their male counterparts are paid. It’s even lower for female equity partners, who receive only 78% of what the men are paid.
Do female lawyers in large firms believe that they are treated fairly?
Recent studies have found that the majority of men believe that their firm has succeeded in promoting women into leadership or equity partnership (84% and 79%, respectively).
But just 55% and 48% of women say the same, respectively. They’re also less likely than men to agree that their firm has retained experienced female lawyers (47% vs. 74%), and less than half are satisfied with advancement opportunities (47%).
Women account for 56% of all law students.
(ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
In total, there were 14,000 more female students in law school than male students – that’s a nearly 15% increase since 2000.
In 2022, 162 law schools had more female than male students. Just 33 had more male students. At some, they outnumbered men by 2 to 1.
The first time that first-year female JD students outnumbered their male counterparts was in 2014. By 2016, they made up a majority of all first-year students.
That change is happening in leadership, too.
As of October 2023, more than 2 in 5 law school deans were women, and, as of 2023, the ABA has had 12 female presidents.
The number of female federal judges is also increasing, though they don’t outnumber men. All in all, 42% of high-court justices are women.
Just 5% of lawyers are Black.
(ABA Profile of the Legal Profession, ABA Journal, Zippia)
Despite the population of lawyers growing by over 6% in 10 years, only 21% of them are people of color.
As many as 79% of lawyers are white. Although this is lower than it was 10 years ago (88.7%), white lawyers are still overrepresented compared to their presence within the American population.
On the other hand, the number of Black lawyers in America hasn’t changed over the last decade.
In 2013, they accounted for 4.8% of the lawyer population. Today, they account for 5%, meaning that they are vastly underrepresented when compared to their presence in the population (13.6%).
What about other races? Here’s a quick breakdown:
- 79% are White
- 6% are Hispanic
- 6% are Asian American
- 5% are Black
- 3% are multiracial
On average, lawyers are 46 years old.
(Zippia, ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
That’s a bit older than the average age of all US workers, which hovers at 42.
In fact, just 4% of lawyers are between the ages of 20 and 30, 29% are between the ages of 30 and 40, and 67% are 40 or older.
There are a few reasons that lawyers tend to be older.
The first is that 65% of lawyers choose to wait a few years after completing their undergraduate studies to enroll in law school.
There’s also the fact that 14% of lawyers work past the age of 65. Comparatively, only 7% of US workers work until they’re 65 or older.
It’s also interesting to note that the age has sometimes been lower; in the 1980s, the average lawyer was just 39.
Types of lawyers and number of lawyers by practice area
There are about 450,000 law firms in the US.
(Statista, American Bar Association)
Between 2018 and 2023, the number of firms grew by about 1% per year, on average.
While a majority of law school graduates go on to work at firms, about 1% of all graduates attempt to go it alone and start a solo practice. Of 2022 graduates, .5% tried this route, down from 2.3% in 2012.
75% of lawyers work in the private sector.
(United States Now)
This includes areas of practice such as contract law, property law, and tort law.
Lawyers who choose to practice in this sector have several employment opportunities, including being a sole practitioner, working in a small firm, or working alongside hundreds of other lawyers in a big firm.
How many licensed attorneys are there in the US?
There are 1,327,910 licensed attorneys in the US.
(ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
There was a 5% increase in this number between 2013 and 2023; the profession grew the most quickly in the 1970s.
The ABA has over 400,000 members.
(American Bar Association)
With more than 400,000 members, the ABA has become the largest voluntary professional association in the world.
It acts as the national representative of the legal profession and aims to provide law school accreditation, continuing legal education, assistance to lawyers and judges, and more. It also has initiatives that aim to improve the legal system for the public.
Just 14% of lawyers are certified members of the American Bar Association.
(GoRemotely)
Despite such high membership numbers, only 194,000 lawyers pay dues to the association, which comes out to 14.4%.
Lawyer salary
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), lawyers earn an average of $135,740 per year.
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics)
This breaks down to $65.26 per hour.
Lawyers who fall within the 75th percentile of pay earn $208,980 per year, while those in the 25th percentile earn $94,440. Some are paid even less – those in the 10th percentile earn $66,470 per year.
Why is the average salary so high, though? There are several things at play here, including their specialized knowledge. Lawyers need a law degree and state license, which requires passing the bar.
Demand is also a factor.
Employment opportunities for lawyers are expected to increase by 8% by 2032, which is faster than any other profession.
On average, 39,100 new job openings are expected each year, mostly to replace those who retire or transfer to different occupations.
On average, US lawyers charge about $300 per hour.
(Clio, Bureau of Labor Statistics, ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
The highest hourly billable rate among lawyers can be found in Washington, DC, where lawyers charge $411 per hour. New York follows closely behind at $372 per hour.
On the other end of the spectrum, West Virginia lawyers charge the least: $163 per hour.
So, which specialties charge the most and least?
Lawyers practicing in bankruptcy and intellectual property tied for the most, with an average of $362 per hour. Juvenile law, at just $91 per hour, charged the least.
With the average American earning just $29.81 per hour, these figures add up fast.
One in four Americans say they can’t afford a $400 setback, and as many as 3 in 5 say that price transparency is what matters most when choosing a lawyer.
Interestingly, it’s been found that lawyers have a collection rate of just 89%. That means that they aren’t paid for 11% of their billable hours.
It’s also important to note that more than half of lawyers in America have performed pro bono services for those who couldn’t afford to pay for their services. In fact, the ABA recommends that lawyers provide at least 50 pro bono hours each year.
On average, lawyers work 37 pro bono hours per year, but 20% provide 50 hours or more.
Lawyers between the ages of 70 and 74 are most likely to perform pro bono work, with 58 hours per year. Solo practitioners and those in large firms are also apt to do so, with 45 and 48 hours per year, respectively.
Most often, pro bono work includes advice (74%), help with documents (66%), client interviews (64%), letter writing (36%), working with fellow attorneys (35%), and providing court representation (29%).
The average lawyer bills just 2.5 hours in an 8-hour workday.
(Clio)
On average, just 31% of a lawyer’s day consists of billable hours.
Whether it means that they need more clients or need to improve their efficiency at work depends on the lawyer.
Some high-profile attorneys can charge as much as $2,400 per hour.
(GoRemotely)
That means that, when all is said and done, those working on well-known cases can make as much as $5 million each year.
The highest-paid lawyer outside of those who work on high-profile cases?
Lawyers who work in the medical field, such as healthcare attorneys, medical malpractice attorneys, and medical-legal counsel.
They can earn over $110 per hour and often bring home around $150,881 yearly.
Law firms using technology solutions see a 40% increase in revenue per lawyer each year.
(Clio, Clio, JurisPage, ABA Profile of the Legal Profession)
Firms that use technology such as online payment options, client portals, and CRM software see an average of 6% year-over-year growth.
When compared to firms that choose not to use technology, they also increase revenue by as much as 40% per lawyer.
Technology solutions can also earn solo law firms – that is, lawyers practicing alone – as much as $52,507 more in revenue each year.
This could be because firms using cloud-based CRM software are 60% more likely to have positive relationships with their clients.
And while 90% of lawyers say that they are comfortable with the idea of their firm using technology, more than half (55%) have found that it can hurt or even halt their productivity altogether.
81% of people looking for a lawyer ask for referrals.
(JurisPage)
We’ve already mentioned how important price is during the search for a lawyer and how many potential clients prefer price transparency.
But it’s more than just price. People want to know that their lawyers can be trusted, and want to hear that from their peers – more than 8 in 10 look for referrals to help them make their decision, and 82% read reviews.
Conclusion
There you have it!
The top statistics about lawyers, how the legal industry is changing, and what’s in store for the future.
Which statistic surprised you the most?
Read more:
How to Get Into Top Law Schools
The Top Law School Admission Statistics
The Best Law Schools in the US
Sources:
ABA Profile of the Legal Profession
