Law
Legal Professions & Studies
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $77,880 | $57,993 to $99,741 | 8 | 100% |
| Doctoral Degree | $100,382 | $89,499 to $121,408 | 26 | 100% |
| First Professional Degree | $96,470 | $85,015 to $117,775 | 173 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +3% (2025 to 2035), about 33,600 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $159,670 | +4.7% | 28,700 |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $128,500 | +2.6% | 1,800 |
| Judicial Law Clerks | $64,920 | +2.8% | 1,500 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $153,990 | +2.8% | 800 |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | $117,860 | +0% | 500 |
| Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators | $75,530 | +4.7% | 300 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a law program, of 212 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- Georgetown University
- Harvard University
- George Washington University
- New York University
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- Fordham University
- University of Miami
- Brooklyn Law School
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.