The Average Income of an Immigration Lawyer in California
- All lawyers must obtain a juris doctor and license to practice professionally. In California, lawyers obtain a license from the State Bar of California, which requires passing its bar exam. California employed the highest number of lawyers of any state in the United States, where over 68,000 were employed in 2010. The average salary was $155,740 per year.
- Salaries varied in California, according to the bureau. Variances are based on factors such as the employer type and years of experience. About 26 percent of all lawyers in the United States work in a private practice or are self-employed. Salaries in California ranged from $76,090 to over $166,400 per year, reflecting the bureau’s 10th through 90th percentiles.
- Among 38 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in California, only three regions of the state paid under $100,000 per year. The highest salaries were in the Los Angeles and San Jose areas. In the Los Angeles area, the average salary was $165,400 per year, and in the San Jose area, the average salary was $184,660 per year. In the San Diego area, the average salary was $138,280 per year, and in the Fresno area, the average salary was $103,190 per year. The northern mountains nonmetropolitan region of California paid an average salary of $80,140 per year, and the mother lode region paid an average salary of $98,350 per year.
- Over 550,000 lawyers were employed in the United States in 2010, earning an average salary of $129,440 per year. California and the District of Columbia paid the highest wages in the nation. Among the bureau’s designated metropolitan areas, the San Jose area paid the highest salaries in the United States. The average salary in California was approximately 17 higher than the national average salary.