Legal Occupations

Broad Occupation

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2021 Workforce

1.67M

Average Age

45.5

Average Salary

$133,814

Average Male Salary

$175,512

Average Female Salary

$98,853

About

Legal Occupations are most often employed by the Legal services industry. The average yearly wage for Legal Occupations was $133,814 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Legal Occupations are District of Columbia (Central) PUMA, DC, Bethesda, Potomac & North Bethesda PUMA, MD, and Upper West Side & West Side PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Legal Occupations are District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC, District of Columbia (Central) PUMA, DC, and Bethesda, Potomac & North Bethesda PUMA, MD.

Photo by Dave Wilson

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations

Employment and salary information for the Legal Occupations workforce. Legal Occupations workforce in 2021 was 1,673,487 people, of which 54.4% were women and 45.6% were men. Legal Occupations are paid most in Norfolk (Northeast) & Middlesex (Southeast) Counties (West of Boston City) PUMA, MA but are relatively concentrated in District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

763,215

Male Workforce

± 21.4k

910,272

Female Workforce

± 23.4k

The Legal Occupations workforce in 2021 was 1,673,487 people (54.4% women and 45.6% men). This implies an average annual growth of 12.9% between 2014 (1,482,167) and 2021 (1,673,487).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Legal Occupations.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($181,896), New York ($170,846), and Connecticut ($168,433).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$133,814

AVERAGE WAGE

#1 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Legal Occupations earned an average of $133,814, $74,218 more than the average national salary of $59,596

Legal Occupations are the highest paid occupation in the US followed by Management occupations. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Legal Occupations as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.461

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Legal Occupations had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.461, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Legal Occupations (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Legal Occupations compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Legal Occupations and on wages for those in the field. Legal services is the industry that employs the most Legal Occupations, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Legal Occupations, by average wage, is Not specified food industries, manufacturing ($456,821).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

1.67M

2021 Workforce

± 31,583

4.14%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 2.59%

This graphic shows the share of Legal Occupations employed by various industries. Legal services employs the largest share of Legal Occupations at 82.5%, followed by Justice, public order, & safety activities with 14% and Insurance carriers with 3.55%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Legal Occupations in the US. The workforce of Legal Occupations in 2021 was 1,673,487 people, with 54.4% woman, and 45.6% men. The average age of male Legal Occupations in the workforce is 47.3 and of female Legal Occupations is 43.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Legal Occupations is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Legal Occupations in 2021 was 1,673,487 people, with 54.4% woman, and 45.6% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 35 to 39 years (227,654 people), 30 to 34 years (215,651 people), and 40 to 44 years (196,262 people). Among them they concentrated 38.2% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 10.2% of Legal Occupations workers were Hispanic and 89.8% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (66.4%), Puerto Rican (18.7)%, and Cuban (14.9)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 80% of the Legal Occupations workforce were White, of which 52% were women and 48% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (7.14%) and Two or More Races (5.28%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Legal Occupations from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Legal Occupations is Social Sciences but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Legal.

Among the necessary skills for Legal Occupations, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Legal Occupations need more than the average amount of Negotiation.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Legal Occupations in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Social Sciences (372,891 people), Business (202,461 people), and History (112,863 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Legal Occupations workers were Graduate Degree (1,057,846 people), Bachelors Degree (279,668 people), and Some college (143,414 people).

The graphic shows the Legal Occupations workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Legal Occupations from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Legal Occupations need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking.