Quick answer: Lawyers in California earn a median $195,080 per year, above the national median of $159,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The state employs about 95,770 of them. Licensing runs through the bar in the state where you intend to practice.
| Metric | California | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $195,080 | $159,670 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 10th percentile | $97,950 | $78,360 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 25th percentile | $131,120 | $102,990 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 75th percentile | $277,140 | $221,370 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 90th percentile | $369,180 | $351,600 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Employment | 95,770 | 754,500 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Location quotient | 1.08 | 1.00 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Projected change (2024-34) | not published by state | 4.1% | BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34 |
The California median of $195,080 sits above the national median of $159,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Percentiles matter more than the midpoint when you are deciding whether a degree pays for itself: the 10th percentile is roughly where people start, and the 90th is what the top of the local market looks like after years of experience.
A location quotient of 1.08 puts California slightly above the national average, so the occupation is a little more common here than in the typical state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The measure compares how concentrated the occupation is here against the national average of 1.00.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | $301,320 | 6,040 |
| San Francisco | $212,500 | 18,470 |
| Los Angeles | $194,410 | 41,580 |
| Oxnard | $185,520 | 1,220 |
| Santa Rosa | $181,560 | 590 |
| Sacramento | $178,540 | 7,620 |
| San Diego | $178,220 | 8,020 |
| San Luis Obispo | $175,780 | 290 |
| Stockton | $174,880 | 490 |
| Santa Maria | $170,970 | 700 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Legal hiring follows courts, corporate headquarters and government offices, so the local concentration of those is what determines how many positions are open in a given market.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics ( OES data), lawyers wages in California vary by metro area.
| Metro Area | Employment | Median Annual Wage | Avg. Annual Wage | Entry Level (10th pctile) | Experienced (90th pctile) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 41,580 | $194,410 | $241,500 | $93,980 | $375,440 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | 18,470 | $212,500 | $237,060 | $98,280 | $375,580 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 8,020 | $178,220 | $203,680 | $104,140 | $336,590 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | 7,620 | $178,540 | $187,020 | $80,540 | $284,610 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 6,040 | $301,320 | $288,980 | $129,350 | $421,000 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 3,470 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Fresno | 1,570 | $162,680 | $183,920 | $75,370 | $284,670 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 1,220 | $185,520 | $191,100 | $82,480 | $284,690 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | 700 | $170,970 | $178,720 | $73,920 | $289,030 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | 610 | $150,900 | $155,160 | $77,490 | $245,020 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | 590 | $181,560 | $248,950 | $96,860 | $294,230 |
| Stockton-Lodi | 490 | $174,880 | $181,830 | $94,110 | $239,200 |
| Salinas | 380 | $166,940 | $178,560 | $80,610 | $289,250 |
| Modesto | 370 | $164,010 | $195,450 | $93,120 | $300,040 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | 350 | $164,790 | $169,270 | $59,990 | $315,190 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | 290 | $175,780 | $193,770 | $83,130 | $272,170 |
| Visalia | 270 | $150,140 | $149,440 | $89,870 | $198,320 |
| Redding | 250 | $133,900 | $142,900 | $78,110 | $211,580 |
| Vallejo | 220 | $170,530 | $170,980 | $77,020 | $286,680 |
| Chico | 140 | $131,710 | $136,120 | $58,850 | $227,520 |
| Merced | 120 | $139,010 | $156,900 | $82,290 | $271,980 |
| El Centro | 110 | $162,580 | $157,830 | $95,160 | $207,480 |
| Napa | 110 | $168,720 | $175,280 | $80,530 | $306,130 |
| Hanford-Corcoran | 90 | $149,430 | $193,170 | $74,680 | $338,920 |
| Yuba City | 90 | $139,710 | $145,860 | $56,260 | $225,510 |
Wages reflect survey data and vary based on experience, credentials, employer, and local market conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May .
Bakersfield * Chico * El Centro * Fresno * Los Angeles * Merced * Modesto * Napa * Oxnard * Redding * Sacramento * Salinas * San Diego * San Francisco * San Jose * San Luis Obispo * Santa Cruz * Santa Maria * Santa Rosa * Stockton * Vallejo * Visalia
Lawyers are admitted to practice state by state. The national framework is a Juris Doctor from an ABA-approved law school, a bar examination set by the state, and a character and fitness review. Which degrees confer bar eligibility, whether any distance study is permitted, and how the examination is scored are all decided by the individual state bar, and they differ more than most applicants expect.
Requirements are set at state level and are amended periodically. Before you enroll in any program, confirm with the bar in the state where you intend to practice that the specific program you are considering satisfies the education requirement, and ask what it accepts from any training you have already completed. Get the answer in writing.
Most people reading this already have a job in the field, and the practical question is whether the credential can be earned without leaving it. Programs designed for working adults deliver the academic portion online or in the evening, while any labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience happen in person and locally. Prior college credit, military training, apprenticeship coursework and industry certifications can all shorten the path, so request a written transfer credit evaluation before you commit to any school.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 10 schools within 139 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
The median annual wage for lawyers in California is $195,080, above the national median of $159,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle of the range runs from $131,120 at the 25th percentile to $277,140 at the 75th.
California holds about 95,770 lawyer jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Nationally the occupation employs 754,500, and BLS projects about 31,500 openings per year through 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Lawyers are admitted to practice state by state. The national framework is a Juris Doctor from an ABA-approved law school, a bar examination set by the state, and a character and fitness review. Which degrees confer bar eligibility, whether any distance study is permitted, and how the examination is scored are all decided by the individual state bar, and they differ more than most applicants expect. Requirements are set at the state level and change periodically, so confirm the current rules with the bar in the state where you intend to practice before you enroll in any program.
Often yes. Programs built for working adults deliver coursework online or in the evenings, though any required labs, clinical hours or supervised field experience are completed in person. Confirm that the program's accreditation satisfies the bar in the state where you intend to practice.
Among California metro areas with published data, San Jose reports the highest median at $301,320 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
On pay, the state median of $195,080 sits above the national $159,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A location quotient of 1.08 means the occupation is more concentrated here than in the average state. Weigh that against cost of living and how concentrated the work is near where you actually want to live.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
