Lawyer Salary Trends in 2025: Big Paychecks, Small Towns, and a Shifting Legal Map

If you’re still clinging to the idea that New York BigLaw is the gold standard for legal salaries, it’s time for a reality check. According to the latest data from the ABA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal salary landscape is shifting—and fast.

Reevaluating Lawyer Salaries

Despite the presumption that the legal profession's continued place among the highest-paying careers in the U.S. is due to New York-based BigLaw salaries, lucrative opportunities are increasingly found outside traditional hubs like Manhattan or L.A., with San Jose topping the list at an average salary of $268,570.

Yes, the usual suspects like D.C., L.A., and NYC still dominate the top 10, but they’re no longer the only players in the game. In fact, four of the top 10 highest-paying metro areas for lawyers are small cities with fewer than 1,000 attorneys: Boulder, CO; Midland, MI; Fort Collins, CO; and Corpus Christi, TX. These aren’t just statistical flukes—they’re part of a growing trend: small town, big salary.

The Numbers That Matter

• Top-paying metro: San Jose, CA, at $268,570

• National average lawyer salary: $176,470

  Lowest-paying metro: Mayaguez, PR, at $62,380

• Average paralegal salary: $66,460—which exceeds the average lawyer salary in the five lowest-paying cities

  
  

And yes, you read that right: paralegals are out-earning lawyers in some regions. Four of the five lowest-paying metro areas for lawyers are in Puerto Rico—Mayaguez, Aguadilla, Arecibo, and Ponce—with Hot Springs, Arkansas rounding out the bottom five.

Reevaluating Lawyer Salaries: Despite the legal profession's continued place among the highest-paying careers in the U.S., lucrative opportunities are increasingly found outside traditional hubs like Manhattan or L.A., with San Jose topping the list at an average salary of $268,570.

What’s Driving the Shift?

Several factors are at play:

• Cost of living adjustments: Smaller cities are offering competitive salaries without the overhead of big-city expenses.

• Talent scarcity: Fewer lawyers in these areas means higher demand—and higher pay.

• Remote work and decentralization: The prestige of a Manhattan office is giving way to the flexibility of practicing from anywhere.

  
  

Even San Francisco, long a top-tier market, saw a drop in average salary this year, while Colorado and Texas are steadily climbing the ranks. And interestingly, lawyers in the suburbs of NYC are now out-earning their counterparts in the city center.

The Takeaway

This is not just a blip—it’s a recalibration. The legal profession remains one of the top five highest-paying careers in the U.S., but the path to a lucrative practice no longer requires a zip code in Manhattan or downtown L.A.

So whether you’re planning your post-bar move or rethinking your long-term goals, remember: you don’t have to move to the big city to make it big.

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