Judicial Law Clerks
Judicial Law Clerks (SOC 23-1012) earn a median $64,920 a year ($31.21 an hour) in the United States, with 13,290 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Massachusetts.
What judicial law clerks do
Judicial law clerks assist judges by researching legal questions and preparing documents. Typical tasks include researching laws, court decisions, briefs, and opinions related to cases before the court, preparing briefs, legal memoranda, and statements of the issues in a case, including the applicable law, drafting or proofreading judicial opinions, decisions, and citations, and conferring with the judge about legal questions, the construction of documents, and rulings. Clerks also review complaints, petitions, motions, and pleadings to determine the issues involved, check dockets of pending litigation, and attend court sessions to hear oral arguments or record case information. They also keep up with changes in the law and tell judges when pending cases are affected. The classification excludes lawyers, who represent clients in disputes, and paralegals and legal assistants, who support lawyers in practice. The occupation also differs from court clerks, who handle court records and administrative paperwork instead of legal analysis.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported education level is a doctoral degree.
Also called: Appellate Law Clerk, Career Law Clerk, Attorney Law Clerk, Career Judicial Law Clerk, Chancery Clerk.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $22.20 | $25.42 | $31.21 | $38.67 | $54.40 | $35.07 | 13,290 |
| Annual | $46,180 | $52,870 | $64,920 | $80,420 | $113,140 | $72,950 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where judicial law clerks earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $39.53 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $63.64 | 500 | 0.14 | 1.61 |
| Annual | $82,210 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $132,380 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $39.51 | $41.70 | $64.10 | $78.68 | $82.63 | $60.74 | 850 | 0.09 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $82,190 | $86,730 | $133,320 | $163,650 | $171,870 | $126,340 | ||||
| Connecticut | Hourly | $29.64 | $43.37 | $47.44 | $53.79 | $70.37 | $49.16 | 270 | 0.16 | 1.83 |
| Annual | $61,640 | $90,220 | $98,670 | $111,890 | $146,370 | $102,260 | ||||
| Oregon | Hourly | $37.20 | $37.20 | $41.76 | $41.76 | $41.76 | $39.86 | 30 | 0.02 | 0.20 |
| Annual | $77,370 | $77,370 | $86,870 | $86,870 | $86,870 | $82,920 | ||||
| North Dakota | Hourly | $33.99 | $38.04 | $41.12 | $51.51 | $53.64 | $43.23 | 40 | 0.10 | 1.19 |
| Annual | $70,690 | $79,130 | $85,530 | $107,150 | $111,580 | $89,920 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | $28.67 | $31.61 | $38.00 | $39.52 | $43.60 | $36.57 | 1,800 | 0.10 | 1.15 |
| Annual | $59,620 | $65,740 | $79,030 | $82,200 | $90,680 | $76,070 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $21.61 | $23.66 | $26.53 | $28.72 | $30.64 | $27.24 | 1,300 | 0.13 | 1.53 |
| Annual | $44,950 | $49,210 | $55,180 | $59,740 | $63,730 | $56,650 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Hourly | $16.50 | $18.91 | $24.32 | $29.79 | $36.66 | $25.01 | 970 | 0.16 | 1.87 |
| Annual | $34,310 | $39,330 | $50,590 | $61,960 | $76,250 | $52,010 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $39.51 | $41.70 | $64.10 | $78.68 | $82.63 | $60.74 | 850 | 0.09 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $82,190 | $86,730 | $133,320 | $163,650 | $171,870 | $126,340 | ||||
| Utah | Hourly | $21.84 | $22.87 | $24.95 | $28.86 | $41.20 | $27.29 | 630 | 0.36 | 4.23 |
| Annual | $45,430 | $47,570 | $51,900 | $60,030 | $85,700 | $56,770 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $39.53 | $52.45 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $62.27 | 380 | 0.14 | 1.64 |
| Annual | $82,210 | $109,100 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $129,530 | ||||
| Springfield, MA | Hourly | $68.92 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $67.14 | 40 | 0.18 | 2.10 |
| Annual | $143,350 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $139,650 | ||||
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | Hourly | $39.12 | $46.43 | $65.84 | $78.68 | $83.81 | $62.49 | 80 | 0.17 | 1.97 |
| Annual | $81,370 | $96,580 | $136,950 | $163,650 | $174,330 | $129,970 | ||||
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | Hourly | $37.92 | $44.26 | $48.98 | $55.35 | $77.15 | $52.51 | 120 | 0.21 | 2.41 |
| Annual | $78,880 | $92,060 | $101,890 | $115,130 | $160,460 | $109,220 | ||||
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | Hourly | $33.22 | $37.19 | $47.04 | $53.93 | $54.18 | $43.44 | 50 | 0.13 | 1.53 |
| Annual | $69,100 | $77,340 | $97,840 | $112,180 | $112,690 | $90,350 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $28.31 | $28.31 | $28.31 | $39.51 | $66.74 | $36.87 | 560 | 0.06 | 0.69 |
| Annual | $58,890 | $58,890 | $58,890 | $82,190 | $138,830 | $76,690 | ||||
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | Hourly | $18.18 | $23.96 | $28.31 | $30.83 | $36.73 | $27.41 | 460 | 0.16 | 1.88 |
| Annual | $37,820 | $49,850 | $58,890 | $64,120 | $76,390 | $57,020 | ||||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Hourly | $20.32 | $23.39 | $29.73 | $33.03 | $50.55 | $33.99 | 390 | 0.14 | 1.59 |
| Annual | $42,260 | $48,640 | $61,840 | $68,700 | $105,150 | $70,710 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $39.53 | $52.45 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $68.92 | $62.27 | 380 | 0.14 | 1.64 |
| Annual | $82,210 | $109,100 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $143,350 | $129,530 | ||||
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Hourly | $21.67 | $24.15 | $26.74 | $29.00 | $30.63 | $26.86 | 340 | 0.12 | 1.42 |
| Annual | $45,070 | $50,230 | $55,620 | $60,320 | $63,710 | $55,870 | ||||
Top industries employing judicial law clerks
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) employ 57.0% of judicial law clerks nationally (7,570 jobs) at a median $67,340 a year ($32.38 an hour), followed by Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) (43.0%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999200 | 7,570 | 57.0% | $67,340 | $32.38 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300 | 5,710 | 43.0% | $62,760 | $30.18 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (13,290). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $50,750 for judicial law clerks in May 2021 and $64,920 in May 2025, with employment of 14,800 and 13,290.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $50,750 | $24.40 | 14,800 |
| May 2022 | $57,490 | $27.64 | 15,540 |
| May 2023 | $57,490 | $27.64 | 14,680 |
| May 2024 | $60,400 | $29.04 | 13,220 |
| May 2025 | $64,920 | $31.21 | 13,290 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
39 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts profile | $68.92 | $143,350 | $82,210 | $143,350 | 500 | 0.14 | 1.61 |
| 2 | New York profile | $64.10 | $133,320 | $82,190 | $171,870 | 850 | 0.09 | 1.03 |
| 3 | Connecticut profile | $47.44 | $98,670 | $61,640 | $146,370 | 270 | 0.16 | 1.83 |
| 4 | Oregon profile | $41.76 | $86,870 | $77,370 | $86,870 | 30 | 0.02 | 0.20 |
| 5 | North Dakota profile | $41.12 | $85,530 | $70,690 | $111,580 | 40 | 0.10 | 1.19 |
| 6 | Washington profile | $38.58 | $80,240 | $62,400 | $113,700 | 580 | 0.16 | 1.92 |
| 7 | Arkansas profile | $38.54 | $80,150 | $47,050 | $112,690 | 50 | 0.04 | 0.47 |
| 8 | California profile | $38.00 | $79,030 | $59,620 | $90,680 | 1,800 | 0.10 | 1.15 |
| 9 | Idaho profile | $36.32 | $75,540 | $49,480 | $79,880 | 60 | 0.07 | 0.81 |
| 10 | Tennessee profile | $36.15 | $75,190 | $50,240 | $100,100 | 400 | 0.12 | 1.44 |
| 11 | Minnesota profile | $34.17 | $71,070 | $64,980 | $79,850 | 410 | 0.14 | 1.61 |
| 12 | Maryland profile | $33.71 | $70,110 | $59,900 | $90,120 | 370 | 0.13 | 1.55 |
| 13 | Nevada profile | $33.46 | $69,600 | $53,300 | $96,610 | 70 | 0.04 | 0.50 |
| 14 | Maine profile | $32.64 | $67,890 | $67,890 | $92,190 | 30 | 0.05 | 0.62 |
| 15 | Alaska profile | $32.49 | $67,580 | $62,820 | $93,140 | 140 | 0.42 | 4.92 |
| 16 | Colorado profile | $32.32 | $67,230 | $61,530 | $70,890 | 140 | 0.05 | 0.55 |
| 17 | Missouri profile | $31.76 | $66,060 | $59,530 | $74,710 | 100 | 0.04 | 0.42 |
| 18 | Virginia profile | $31.70 | $65,940 | $54,310 | $89,960 | 380 | 0.09 | 1.09 |
| 19 | Delaware profile | $31.11 | $64,720 | $60,910 | $64,720 | 100 | 0.20 | 2.39 |
| 20 | Iowa profile | $30.90 | $64,260 | $55,210 | $86,350 | 90 | 0.06 | 0.65 |
| 21 | Louisiana profile | $30.38 | $63,180 | $40,410 | $83,230 | 90 | 0.05 | 0.55 |
| 22 | Texas profile | $30.35 | $63,130 | $46,320 | $82,400 | 220 | 0.02 | 0.18 |
| 23 | Michigan profile | $29.93 | $62,260 | $48,690 | $83,380 | 280 | 0.07 | 0.76 |
| 24 | Arizona profile | $28.93 | $60,170 | $46,580 | $77,710 | 250 | 0.08 | 0.90 |
| 25 | New Jersey profile | $28.31 | $58,890 | $58,890 | $69,740 | 530 | 0.12 | 1.44 |
| 26 | Indiana profile | $27.47 | $57,140 | $38,830 | $96,520 | 70 | 0.02 | 0.24 |
| 27 | Florida profile | $26.53 | $55,180 | $44,950 | $63,730 | 1,300 | 0.13 | 1.53 |
| 28 | Georgia profile | $26.50 | $55,120 | $42,260 | $78,050 | 560 | 0.11 | 1.33 |
| 29 | Wisconsin profile | $26.08 | $54,250 | $48,480 | $67,900 | 180 | 0.06 | 0.72 |
| 30 | West Virginia profile | $25.06 | $52,120 | $52,120 | $83,890 | 260 | 0.37 | 4.27 |
| 31 | Utah profile | $24.95 | $51,900 | $45,430 | $85,700 | 630 | 0.36 | 4.23 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania profile | $24.32 | $50,590 | $34,310 | $76,250 | 970 | 0.16 | 1.87 |
| 33 | South Carolina profile | $24.20 | $50,330 | $41,100 | $82,490 | 230 | 0.10 | 1.19 |
| 34 | Ohio profile | $23.96 | $49,840 | $41,730 | $102,440 | 240 | 0.04 | 0.50 |
| 35 | Nebraska profile | $23.83 | $49,570 | $38,350 | $104,860 | 110 | 0.11 | 1.25 |
| 36 | Montana profile | $22.75 | $47,320 | $44,240 | $66,970 | 40 | 0.08 | 0.92 |
| 37 | Hawaii profile | $22.60 | $47,010 | $40,250 | $73,840 | 330 | 0.52 | 6.09 |
| 38 | Kansas profile | $21.98 | $45,720 | $33,350 | $68,920 | 40 | 0.03 | 0.31 |
| 39 | Oklahoma profile | $21.63 | $44,990 | $31,200 | $125,990 | 130 | 0.08 | 0.89 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (23-1010), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Legal Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 23-1012 Judicial Law Clerks.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 23-1012, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 23-1012.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.