Quick answer:Lawyers in Illinois earn a median $160,800 per year, above the national median of $159,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The state employs about 33,590 of them. Licensing runs through the bar in the state where you intend to practice.
Law Pay and Employment in Illinois at a Glance
Metric
Illinois
National
Source
Median annual wage
$160,800
$159,670
BLS OEWS, May 2025
10th percentile
$82,160
$78,360
BLS OEWS, May 2025
25th percentile
$103,020
$102,990
BLS OEWS, May 2025
75th percentile
$224,450
$221,370
BLS OEWS, May 2025
90th percentile
$330,200
$351,600
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment
33,590
754,500
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Location quotient
1.14
1.00
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
not published by state
4.1%
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
How Illinois Pay Compares to the Rest of the Country
The Illinois median of $160,800 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 1.14 puts Illinois 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.
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.
Lawyers Wages by Metro Area in Illinois
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics ( OES data), lawyers wages in Illinois vary by metro area.
Metro Area
Employment
Median Annual Wage
Avg. Annual Wage
Entry Level (10th pctile)
Experienced (90th pctile)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
28,320
$165,660
$187,420
$87,070
$331,140
St. Louis
6,100
$142,690
$167,880
$67,600
$306,650
Peoria
560
$161,150
$171,780
$79,260
$293,940
Bloomington
530
$124,100
$136,440
$38,680
$282,680
Springfield
530
$131,400
$143,130
$75,650
$221,700
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island
420
$124,850
$150,980
$72,640
$301,470
Rockford
340
$103,190
$136,090
$73,720
$225,630
Champaign-Urbana
250
$129,990
$160,490
$76,630
$303,410
Paducah
150
$96,960
$106,290
$59,980
$163,680
Cape Girardeau
120
$94,600
$120,010
$61,920
$204,690
Decatur
70
$100,790
$126,430
$74,710
$211,610
Kankakee
50
$107,030
$142,730
$80,020
$242,890
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 .
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.
Earning the Degree While You Work
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 Near You
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.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 9 schools
within 252 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
9 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
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.
The median annual wage for lawyers in Illinois is $160,800, above the national median of $159,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle of the range runs from $103,020 at the 25th percentile to $224,450 at the 75th.
How many lawyers work in Illinois?
Illinois holds about 33,590 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).
Do I need a license to work as a lawyer in Illinois?
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.
Can I earn a Juris Doctor from an ABA-approved law school online while working in Illinois?
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.
What is the highest-paying area of Illinois for lawyers?
Among Illinois metro areas with published data, Chicago reports the highest median at $165,660 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is Illinois a good state for lawyers?
On pay, the state median of $160,800 sits above the national $159,670 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A location quotient of 1.14 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.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Lawyers (SOC 23-1011), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
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/.
