The average lawyer salary in California is $109,000 per year, with the lowest 10% earning $55,000 or less and the highest 10% earning $160,000 or more.
Lawyers in California earn a median hourly wage of $48.89 an hour, which translates to an annual income of $97,710.
Lawyer Salary In California
Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $167,862 | $13,988 | $3,228 | $81 |
| 75th Percentile | $110,252 | $9,187 | $2,120 | $53 |
| Average | $91,534 | $7,627 | $1,760 | $44 |
| 25th Percentile | $62,576 | $5,214 | $1,203 | $30 |
How much does a Lawyer make in California?
As of Jun 17, 2022, the average annual pay for a Lawyer in California is $91,534 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $44.01 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,760/week or $7,628/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $306,920 and as low as $11,919, the majority of Lawyer salaries currently range between $62,576 (25th percentile) to $110,252 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $167,862 annually in California.
The average pay range for a Lawyer varies greatly (as much as $47,676), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
Based on recent job posting activity on ZipRecruiter, the Lawyer job market in California is not very active as few companies are currently hiring.
California ranks number 26 out of 50 states nationwide for Lawyer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Lawyer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Lawyer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Lawyer Jobs in California
We’ve identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Lawyer job is above the average in California. Topping the list is San Francisco, with Fremont and San Jose close behind in second and third. San Jose beats the California average by 31.4%, and San Francisco furthers that trend with another $36,865 (40.3%) above the $91,534.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Lawyer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 11% between San Francisco and Mission Viejo, reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Lawyer role.
| City | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $128,399 | $10,700 | $2,469 | $61.73 |
| Fremont | $124,987 | $10,416 | $2,404 | $60.09 |
| San Jose | $120,275 | $10,023 | $2,313 | $57.82 |
| Oakland | $119,046 | $9,921 | $2,289 | $57.23 |
| Hayward | $116,776 | $9,731 | $2,246 | $56.14 |
| Vallejo | $116,243 | $9,687 | $2,235 | $55.89 |
| Sunnyvale | $115,651 | $9,638 | $2,224 | $55.60 |
| Santa Barbara | $115,231 | $9,603 | $2,216 | $55.40 |
| Concord | $114,760 | $9,563 | $2,207 | $55.17 |
| Mission Viejo | $114,124 | $9,510 | $2,195 | $54.87 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Lawyer Jobs in California
We found at least 5 jobs related to the Lawyer job category that pay more per year than a typical Lawyer salary in California. Top examples of these roles include: Corporate Lawyer, Family Lawyer, and Project Lawyer.
Importantly, these example jobs are paid between $4,452 (4.9%) and $59,365 (64.9%) more than the average Lawyer salary of $91,534. If you’re qualified, getting hired for one of these related Lawyer jobs may help you make more money than that of the average Lawyer position.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Lawyer | $150,899 | $12,575 | $2,902 | $72.55 |
| Family Lawyer | $118,816 | $9,901 | $2,285 | $57.12 |
| Project Lawyer | $101,553 | $8,463 | $1,953 | $48.82 |
| Commercial Lawyer | $99,029 | $8,252 | $1,904 | $47.61 |
| Technology Lawyer | $95,986 | $7,999 | $1,846 | $46.15 |
