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Law clerk: pay, job outlook and how to become one

Updated October 26, 2026. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET data. Published by Humblebee.

$64,920median pay per year, or $31.21 an hour, May 2025[1]
  1. $46,180lowest 10% earn less
  2. $52,87025th percentile
  3. $64,920median
  4. $80,42075th percentile
  5. $113,140top 10% earn more
Middle half of workers in the inner band[3]Median for all US jobs, $50,980[4]

A law clerk working for judges (BLS title: Judicial Law Clerks) had a median pay of $64,920 a year in May 2025[1]. Jobs are projected to grow 2.8% from 2025 to 2035[2].

Job growth, 2025–35
+2.8%[2]
Openings per year
1,500[5]
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree[6]

How much do law clerks make?

The median pay for judicial law clerks was $64,920 a year, or $31.21 an hour[1]. Half earned more and half earned less. The mean (average) was $72,950 a year, or $35.07 an hour[7]. For comparison, the median annual wage for all occupations was $50,980[4].

Pay spreads widely. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,180, and the lowest-paid 25% earned less than $52,870[3]. The highest-paid 25% earned more than $80,420, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $113,140[3]. In hourly terms, those same boundaries were $22.20, $25.42, $38.67 and $54.40[8]. A percentile is a boundary, and BLS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary[9].

These figures cover about 13,290 wage and salary workers[10]. They leave out self-employed people and do not include benefits or nonproduction bonuses[11].

Pay by state and city

Among the 39 states with published data, Massachusetts had the highest median at $143,350, followed by New York at $133,320 and Connecticut at $98,670[12]. Oklahoma had the lowest listed median, at $44,990[12].

The most jobs were in California (1,800), Florida (1,300), Pennsylvania (970), New York (850) and Utah (630)[13].

Among metro areas with at least 100 jobs, Boston-Cambridge-Newton had the highest median at $143,350, then Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford at $101,890 and San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at $90,650[14]. The metro with the most jobs was New York-Newark-Jersey City, with 560[15].

Show median pay in 39 states
StateMedian per yearJobs
Massachusetts[12]$143,350500
New York$133,320850
Connecticut$98,670270
Oregon$86,87030
North Dakota$85,53040
Washington$80,240580
Arkansas$80,15050
California$79,0301,800
Idaho$75,54060
Tennessee$75,190400
Minnesota$71,070410
Maryland$70,110370
Nevada$69,60070
Maine$67,89030
Alaska$67,580140
Colorado$67,230140
Missouri$66,060100
Virginia$65,940380
Delaware$64,720100
Iowa$64,26090
Louisiana$63,18090
Texas$63,130220
Michigan$62,260280
Arizona$60,170250
New Jersey$58,890530
Indiana$57,14070
Florida$55,1801,300
Georgia$55,120560
Wisconsin$54,250180
West Virginia$52,120260
Utah$51,900630
Pennsylvania$50,590970
South Carolina$50,330230
Ohio$49,840240
Nebraska$49,570110
Montana$47,32040
Hawaii$47,010330
Kansas$45,72040
Oklahoma$44,990130

How to become a law clerk

The facts list a short path:

O*NET places this job in Job Zone Five, which it describes as needing extensive preparation[16]. The facts do not say how long the degree takes or what it costs.

What law clerks do

Law clerks assist judges in court or by doing research and preparing legal documents[17]. Workers reported tasks such as these[18]:

O*NET workers also report titles such as appellate law clerk, judicial clerk and law researcher[19].

Job outlook

BLS projects employment of judicial law clerks to grow 2.8% from 2025 to 2035, from about 14,000 to 14,400 jobs[2]. Employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% over the same period[20]. These counts include self-employed workers[2].

About 1,500 openings a year are projected on average[5]. Openings include jobs that come up when people retire or switch occupations, not only new jobs[5]. Each year, 4.2% of workers leave the labor force and 6.2% move to a different occupation[21].

Is it a good fit?

The facts point to a job that pays above the all-occupation median but asks for a doctoral or professional degree before entry[1][4][6]. Pay depends a lot on location, with state medians ranging from $44,990 to $143,350[12]. Growth is slightly slower than for all occupations[2][20]. Related jobs in the field include lawyers, with a median of $159,670, and paralegals, with a median of $62,890[22].

Related occupations from O*NET, with BLS median pay and projected growth[22].

Frequently asked questions

How much does a law clerk make an hour?
The median was $31.21 an hour in May 2025, and the mean was $35.07[1][7].
What degree do you need to be a law clerk?
BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical education for entry[6].
What is the highest paying state for law clerks?
Massachusetts had the highest median at $143,350, followed by New York at $133,320[12].
Is the law clerk job in demand?
BLS projects 2.8% growth from 2025 to 2035 and about 1,500 openings a year[2][5]. All occupations are projected to grow 3.5%[20].

Facts and sources

  1. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median wage for Judicial Law Clerks in the US was $64,920 per year and $31.21 per hour. Half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  2. BLS Employment Projections: employment of Judicial Law Clerks is projected to grow 2.8% from 2025 to 2035, from about 14,000 to 14,400 jobs (a change of +400). These counts include self-employed workers. BLS Employment Projections
  3. BLS OEWS, May 2025, annual wage percentiles for Judicial Law Clerks: 10th percentile $46,180, 25th percentile $52,870, 75th percentile $80,420, 90th percentile $113,140. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  4. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the median annual wage for all occupations in the US was $50,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  5. BLS Employment Projections: about 1,500 openings for Judicial Law Clerks are projected each year, on average, from 2025 to 2035. Openings include jobs that open when workers retire or move to other occupations, not only new jobs. BLS Employment Projections
  6. BLS Employment Projections, typical path into Judicial Law Clerks: education needed for entry: Doctoral or professional degree; work experience in a related occupation: None; typical on-the-job training: None. BLS Employment Projections
  7. BLS OEWS, May 2025: the mean (average) wage for Judicial Law Clerks was $72,950 per year and $35.07 per hour. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  8. BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wage percentiles for Judicial Law Clerks: 10th percentile $22.20, 25th percentile $25.42, 75th percentile $38.67, 90th percentile $54.40. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  9. BLS OEWS FAQ: a percentile wage is a boundary. The median (50th percentile) separates the highest-paid 50% from the lowest-paid 50% of workers in the occupation. OEWS publishes percentile wages, not a starting salary. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  10. BLS OEWS, May 2025: about 13,290 people were employed as Judicial Law Clerks in the US (wage and salary jobs, not counting self-employed workers). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  11. BLS OEWS FAQ: OEWS covers part-time and full-time workers paid a wage or salary. It does not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers or unpaid family workers. OEWS wages do not include nonproduction bonuses or employer costs of benefits such as health insurance or retirement contributions. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  12. Median annual wage for Judicial Law Clerks in every state with published data, May 2025 (table on this page). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  13. BLS OEWS, May 2025, states with the most Judicial Law Clerks jobs: California 1,800; Florida 1,300; Pennsylvania 970; New York 850; Utah 630. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  14. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the highest median annual wage for Judicial Law Clerks (areas with at least 100 jobs): Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $143,350; Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT $101,890; San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $90,650; Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $80,420; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $80,240; Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN $74,010; Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD $70,110; Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $70,110. BLS OEWS, May 2025
  15. BLS OEWS, May 2025, metro areas with the most Judicial Law Clerks jobs: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 560 (median $58,890); Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 460 (median $58,890); Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 390 (median $61,840); Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 380 (median $143,350); Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 340 (median $55,620); Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 340 (median $80,420). BLS OEWS, May 2025
  16. O*NET 23-1012.00: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job. O*NET OnLine
  17. O*NET description of Judicial Law Clerks. O*NET OnLine
  18. O*NET task list for Judicial Law Clerks. O*NET OnLine
  19. O*NET 23-1012.00 sample job titles reported by workers: Appellate Law Clerk, Career Judicial Law Clerk, Career Law Clerk, Judicial Assistant, Judicial Clerk, Judicial Law Clerk, Law Clerk, Law Researcher. O*NET OnLine
  20. BLS Employment Projections: employment in all occupations is projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035. BLS Employment Projections
  21. BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 annual average for Judicial Law Clerks: 4.2% of workers leave the labor force each year and 6.2% move to a different occupation. BLS Employment Projections
  22. Related occupations (O*NET) with BLS pay, growth and entry education. O*NET OnLine

Notes are for reading the data only. They are not facts and cannot be cited: use the wage_scope and percentile_meaning facts instead. OEWS employment (jobs in May 2025) and Employment Projections employment (2025, includes self-employed) are different measures and can differ. O*NET education shares come from a small survey of workers in the occupation, not from all workers.

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerFacts has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.