Lawyers
Median $159,670
Occupation · SOC 23-1012
Judicial Law Clerks: pay and where the jobs are
What judicial law clerks earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$64,920 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $72,950
- Median hourly wage
- $31.21
- Mean hourly wage
- $35.07
- Employment
- 13,290
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 23-1012.
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How much do judicial law clerks make?
The median annual wage for judicial law clerks was $64,920 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,180 and the highest-paid 10% more than $113,140. As an hourly rate, the median is $31.21. About 13,290 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($143,350), New York ($133,320) and Connecticut ($98,670). Massachusetts also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for judicial law clerks looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,180 | $22.20 | $3,848 | $3,274 |
| 25th percentile | $52,870 | $25.42 | $4,406 | $3,722 |
| Median | $64,920 | $31.21 | $5,410 | $4,529 |
| 75th percentile | $80,420 | $38.67 | $6,702 | $5,450 |
| 90th percentile | $113,140 | $54.40 | $9,428 | $7,369 |
Judicial Law Clerks: pay by state
39 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$96,106 take-home in national prices
2
$88,140 take-home in national prices
3
$77,105 take-home in national prices
Where a median judicial law clerk paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 500 | $143,350 | $82,210 | $143,350 | $101,639 | $96,106 |
| New York | 850 | $133,320 | $82,190 | $171,870 | $95,121 | $88,140 |
| Connecticut | 270 | $98,670 | $61,640 | $146,370 | $73,074 | $70,528 |
| Oregon | 30 | $86,870 | $77,370 | $86,870 | $63,423 | $61,361 |
| North Dakota | 40 | $85,530 | $70,690 | $111,580 | $68,592 | $77,105 |
| Washington | 580 | $80,240 | $62,400 | $113,700 | $64,166 | $59,961 |
| Arkansas | 50 | $80,150 | $47,050 | $112,690 | $62,738 | $72,164 |
| California | 1,800 | $79,030 | $59,620 | $90,680 | $60,295 | $54,458 |
| Idaho | 60 | $75,540 | $49,480 | $79,880 | $59,077 | $61,865 |
| Tennessee | 400 | $75,190 | $50,240 | $100,100 | $61,726 | $67,189 |
| Minnesota | 410 | $71,070 | $64,980 | $79,850 | $55,206 | $55,978 |
| Maryland | 370 | $70,110 | $59,900 | $90,120 | $55,188 | $52,581 |
| Nevada | 70 | $69,600 | $53,300 | $96,610 | $57,794 | $57,806 |
| Maine | 30 | $67,890 | $67,890 | $92,190 | $53,346 | $54,968 |
| Alaska | 140 | $67,580 | $62,820 | $93,140 | $56,102 | $54,809 |
| Colorado | 140 | $67,230 | $61,530 | $70,890 | $53,581 | $51,994 |
| Missouri | 100 | $66,060 | $59,530 | $74,710 | $53,092 | $58,460 |
| Virginia | 380 | $65,940 | $54,310 | $89,960 | $52,185 | $51,616 |
| Delaware | 100 | $64,720 | $60,910 | $64,720 | $50,993 | $51,091 |
| Iowa | 90 | $64,260 | $55,210 | $86,350 | $52,023 | $59,277 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $63,180 | $40,410 | $83,230 | $51,436 | $58,313 |
| Texas | 220 | $63,130 | $46,320 | $82,400 | $52,905 | $54,509 |
| Michigan | 280 | $62,260 | $48,690 | $83,380 | $49,811 | $51,769 |
| Arizona | 250 | $60,170 | $46,580 | $77,710 | $49,416 | $49,084 |
| New Jersey | 530 | $58,890 | $58,890 | $69,740 | $47,354 | $43,522 |
| Indiana | 70 | $57,140 | $38,830 | $96,520 | $46,436 | $49,755 |
| Florida | 1,300 | $55,180 | $44,950 | $63,730 | $46,517 | $44,981 |
| Georgia | 560 | $55,120 | $42,260 | $78,050 | $44,467 | $46,179 |
| Wisconsin | 180 | $54,250 | $48,480 | $67,900 | $43,984 | $46,744 |
| West Virginia | 260 | $52,120 | $52,120 | $83,890 | $42,525 | $47,515 |
| Utah | 630 | $51,900 | $45,430 | $85,700 | $42,100 | $42,584 |
| Pennsylvania | 970 | $50,590 | $34,310 | $76,250 | $41,241 | $42,267 |
| South Carolina | 230 | $50,330 | $41,100 | $82,490 | $41,599 | $44,372 |
| Ohio | 240 | $49,840 | $41,730 | $102,440 | $41,299 | $44,516 |
| Nebraska | 110 | $49,570 | $38,350 | $104,860 | $40,634 | $45,097 |
| Montana | 40 | $47,320 | $44,240 | $66,970 | $38,734 | $40,926 |
| Hawaii | 330 | $47,010 | $40,250 | $73,840 | $37,908 | $34,477 |
| Kansas | 40 | $45,720 | $33,350 | $68,920 | $37,165 | $41,263 |
| Oklahoma | 130 | $44,990 | $31,200 | $125,990 | $36,850 | $41,950 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 23-1012. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.