Judicial Law Clerks Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for judicial law clerkss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Massachusetts$132,380
- New York$126,340
- Connecticut$102,260
- North Dakota$89,920
- Arkansas$87,120
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Kansas$48,140
- Pennsylvania$52,010
- Montana$52,460
- Hawaii$54,200
- Florida$56,650
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $132,380 | $143,350 | $64 | +81.5% | 500 |
| 2 | New York | $126,340 | $133,320 | $61 | +73.2% | 850 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $102,260 | $98,670 | $49 | +40.2% | 270 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $89,920 | $85,530 | $43 | +23.3% | 40 |
| 5 | Arkansas | $87,120 | $80,150 | $42 | +19.4% | 50 |
| 6 | Washington | $85,030 | $80,240 | $41 | +16.6% | 580 |
| 7 | Oregon | $82,920 | $86,870 | $40 | +13.7% | 30 |
| 8 | Tennessee | $77,120 | $75,190 | $37 | +5.7% | 400 |
| 9 | California | $76,070 | $79,030 | $37 | +4.3% | 1,800 |
| 10 | Maine | $73,640 | $67,890 | $35 | +0.9% | 30 |
| 11 | Nevada | $72,800 | $69,600 | $35 | -0.2% | 70 |
| 12 | Maryland | $72,130 | $70,110 | $35 | -1.1% | 370 |
| 13 | Alaska | $72,050 | $67,580 | $35 | -1.2% | 140 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $71,180 | $71,070 | $34 | -2.4% | 410 |
| 15 | Virginia | $70,140 | $65,940 | $34 | -3.9% | 380 |
| 16 | Idaho | $70,030 | $75,540 | $34 | -4% | 60 |
| 17 | Iowa | $69,700 | $64,260 | $34 | -4.5% | 90 |
| 18 | Texas | $67,810 | $63,130 | $33 | -7% | 220 |
| 19 | Georgia | $66,480 | $55,120 | $32 | -8.9% | 560 |
| 20 | Missouri | $66,400 | $66,060 | $32 | -9% | 100 |
| 21 | Colorado | $66,290 | $67,230 | $32 | -9.1% | 140 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $65,960 | $44,990 | $32 | -9.6% | 130 |
| 23 | Michigan | $65,150 | $62,260 | $31 | -10.7% | 280 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $64,990 | $63,180 | $31 | -10.9% | 90 |
| 25 | Delaware | $64,300 | $64,720 | $31 | -11.9% | 100 |
| 26 | Arizona | $62,480 | $60,170 | $30 | -14.4% | 250 |
| 27 | Indiana | $61,650 | $57,140 | $30 | -15.5% | 70 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $61,530 | $58,890 | $30 | -15.7% | 530 |
| 29 | Ohio | $60,080 | $49,840 | $29 | -17.6% | 240 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $59,970 | $52,120 | $29 | -17.8% | 260 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $59,310 | $50,330 | $29 | -18.7% | 230 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $57,240 | $49,570 | $28 | -21.5% | 110 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $57,090 | $54,250 | $27 | -21.7% | 180 |
| 34 | Utah | $56,770 | $51,900 | $27 | -22.2% | 630 |
| 35 | Florida | $56,650 | $55,180 | $27 | -22.3% | 1,300 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $54,200 | $47,010 | $26 | -25.7% | 330 |
| 37 | Montana | $52,460 | $47,320 | $25 | -28.1% | 40 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $52,010 | $50,590 | $25 | -28.7% | 970 |
| 39 | Kansas | $48,140 | $45,720 | $23 | -34% | 40 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 62 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $143,350 | $129,530 | 380 |
| 2 | Springfield, MA | $143,350 | $139,650 | 40 |
| 3 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $136,950 | $129,970 | 80 |
| 4 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $101,890 | $109,220 | 120 |
| 5 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | $97,840 | $90,350 | 50 |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $90,650 | $87,810 | 240 |
| 7 | Knoxville, TN | $87,820 | $81,120 | — |
| 8 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $84,010 | $90,240 | 70 |
| 9 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $80,420 | $73,830 | 340 |
| 10 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $80,240 | $85,210 | 320 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing judicial law clerkss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $67,340 | $79,340 | 7,570 |
| 2 | State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $67,340 | $79,340 | 7,570 |
| 3 | Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS | $64,920 | $72,940 | 13,270 |
| 4 | Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS | $64,920 | $72,940 | 13,270 |
| 5 | Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local | $64,920 | $72,950 | 13,290 |
| 6 | Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS | $64,920 | $72,940 | 13,270 |
| 7 | Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $62,760 | $64,460 | 5,710 |
| 8 | Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $62,760 | $64,460 | 5,710 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do judicial law clerks make in the U.S.?
The median judicial law clerks salary in the United States is $64,920 per year (mean $72,950), and about 80% earn between $46,180 and $113,140.
How much do judicial law clerks make per hour?
Roughly $35 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $72,950 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays judicial law clerks the most?
Massachusetts has the highest average pay for judicial law clerks at $132,380 per year (median $143,350).
What is the job outlook for judicial law clerks?
Employment is projected to change +2.5% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 1,000 openings per year.
What People Search
Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.