In 2023, approximately 1.22 million workers were employed in legal occupations in the United States. The majority of them were lawyers, followed by legal support workers, and then paralegals and legal assistants.
Number of employees in legal occupations in the United States as of May 2023, by category
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Other statistics that may interest you Legal services in the U.S.
Industry overview
6
- Premium Statistic Size of the legal services market worldwide 2015-2023, with 2024 and 2028 forecast
- Premium Statistic Industry revenue of legal services in the U.S. 2012-2024
- Premium Statistic Size of the legal services market in the U.S. by category 2020-2022
- Premium Statistic Best law firms U.S. 2023, by prestige rating
- Premium Statistic Law firms in the U.S. with the highest revenue per lawyer 2022
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Employment
8
- Premium Statistic Number of law graduates in the U.S. 2013-2023
- Premium Statistic Employment status of 2023 law graduates in the U.S. by category 2024
- Premium Statistic Share of unemployed law graduates in the U.S. in the class years 2013-2023
- Premium Statistic Number of employees in legal occupations in the U.S. 2012-2023
- Premium Statistic Number of employees in legal occupations in the U.S. by category 2023
- Premium Statistic States with the highest employment in legal occupations in the U.S. 2023
- Premium Statistic Employee wages of legal occupations in the U.S. 2023
- Premium Statistic States with the highest wages for legal occupations in the U.S. 2023
Diversity
7
- Premium Statistic Employee gender distribution in the best 100 law firms for women in the U.S. 2022
- Premium Statistic Share of lawyers in the U.S. 2020-2023, by gender
- Premium Statistic Share of non-white equity partners at law firms in the U.S. 2011-2022
- Premium Statistic Diversity of equity partners at Skadden Arps LLP U.S. 2023, by race and gender
- Premium Statistic Diversity of attorneys at Skadden Arps LLP U.S. 2023, by race and gender
- Premium Statistic Diversity of equity partners at Kirkland & Ellis LLP U.S. 2022, by race and gender
- Premium Statistic Diversity of attorneys at Kirkland & Ellis LLP U.S. 2022, by race and gender
Rates, utilization, and collection
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- Premium Statistic Law firms' average collection rates in the U.S. by practice area 2020-2023
- Premium Statistic Law firms' and non-lawyers' average utilization rates in the U.S. by state 2022
- Premium Statistic Realization and collection rates in the U.S. by state 2022
- Premium Statistic Adjusted hourly rates in the U.S. by state 2020-2022
- Premium Statistic U.S. lawyers hourly rates by state 2020-2023
- Premium Statistic Law firm hourly rates in the U.S. by practice area 2020-2023
Consumers´ perspective
3
Further related statistics
16
- Law firms with the highest average hours spent on pro bono work outside the U.S. 2019
- Average hours spent on pro bono work at U.S. law firms by type of lawyer 2019
- Global law firms by revenue per lawyer 2021
- States with the highest wages for paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2019
- Unemployment rate of legal professionals in the U.S. Q2 2017
- Mean hourly wage of judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers in U.S. 2013-2022
- Mean annual wage of judges, magistrates, and other judicial worker in U.S. 2013-2022
- Number of paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2013-2022
- Mean hourly wage of paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2013-2022
- Mean annual wage of paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2013-2022
- Corporate outside legal counsel spending in the U.S. 2001-2020
- Spend by law departments on technology in the U.S. 2015-2019, by software type
- Distribution of the headcount of the leading global law firms by region 2018
- How consumers find a lawyer in the U.S. 2019
- Leading incentives for Canadian legal professionals to remain at a firm 2016
- Legal tech market revenue share in North America 2021-2027, by segment
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Statistics
- Law firms with the highest average hours spent on pro bono work outside the U.S. 2019
- Average hours spent on pro bono work at U.S. law firms by type of lawyer 2019
- Global law firms by revenue per lawyer 2021
- States with the highest wages for paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2019
- Unemployment rate of legal professionals in the U.S. Q2 2017
- Mean hourly wage of judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers in U.S. 2013-2022
- Mean annual wage of judges, magistrates, and other judicial worker in U.S. 2013-2022
- Number of paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2013-2022
- Mean hourly wage of paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2013-2022
- Mean annual wage of paralegals and legal assistants in U.S. 2013-2022
- Corporate outside legal counsel spending in the U.S. 2001-2020
- Spend by law departments on technology in the U.S. 2015-2019, by software type
- Distribution of the headcount of the leading global law firms by region 2018
- How consumers find a lawyer in the U.S. 2019
- Leading incentives for Canadian legal professionals to remain at a firm 2016
- Legal tech market revenue share in North America 2021-2027, by segment
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (April 15, 2024). Number of employees in legal occupations in the United States as of May 2023, by category [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 23, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/318757/number-of-employees-in-legal-occupations-by-category-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Number of employees in legal occupations in the United States as of May 2023, by category." Chart. April 15, 2024. Statista. Accessed May 23, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/318757/number-of-employees-in-legal-occupations-by-category-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Number of employees in legal occupations in the United States as of May 2023, by category. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 23, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/318757/number-of-employees-in-legal-occupations-by-category-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Number of Employees in Legal Occupations in The United States as of May 2023, by Category." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/318757/number-of-employees-in-legal-occupations-by-category-us/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Number of employees in legal occupations in the United States as of May 2023, by category Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/318757/number-of-employees-in-legal-occupations-by-category-us/ (last visited May 23, 2024)
Number of employees in legal occupations in the United States as of May 2023, by category [Graph], Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 15, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/318757/number-of-employees-in-legal-occupations-by-category-us/