Legal · SOC 23-1011
Lawyers
BLS projects 863,700 jobs in 2025 to become 904,300 by 2035 — +4.7%, against +3.5% across all occupations.
+4.7%
projected change to 2035
About 40,600 more jobs
28,700
openings a year
3.3% of the occupation a year, counting people who retire or move on
$159,670
median annual pay
Usually entered with: doctoral or professional degree
2025 to 2035
Employment at the start and end of the projection, in jobs.
- 2025 employment863,700
- 2035 projected904,300
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–2035 projections.
Other legal occupations
The largest occupations in the same group, by projected change to 2035.
- Paralegals and legal assistants404,900-0.3%
- Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers59,800+2.1%
- Legal support workers, all other50,200-0.3%
- Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates25,300+2.8%
- Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers17,4000.0%
- Judicial law clerks14,000+2.8%
- Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators10,500+4.7%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program.