SOC 23-1011 · California (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA unavailable) · BLS OEWS May 2024
Median Annual Salary
$197,787
$95.09/hr
30.9% higher than the US national median ($151,154)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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ⓘBLS doesn’t publish metro-level figures for Lawyers in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. Showing California state-level data instead. How we fall back →
The median salary for Lawyers in California is $197,787 per year ($95.09/hr). This is 30.9% higher than the national median of $151,154.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions. May specialize in a single area or may practice broadly in many areas of law.
Wage Percentiles: California
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
No credit card required · 755+ occupations · 393 metros
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median lawyers salary in California?
The median (P50) annual salary for Lawyers in California is approximately $197,787, based on BLS OEWS May 2024 data. This is 30.9% higher than the national median of $151,154. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.