Salaries / Lawyers
Lawyers H-1B salaries
Auto-summary H-1B filings: DOL disclosure data SOC 23-1011
Employers filed 2,186 certified H-1B applications for lawyers (July 2025 to June 2026), from 823 employers.
Nationally, the middle half of offers were $163,500 to $275,000, with a median of $225,000.
Of the 4 metro areas with at least 100 filings, the highest median offer was in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($235,000) and the lowest in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($168,000).
By city
Metro areas with at least 25 filings. Areas with 100 or more have their own page.
| Metro area | Filings | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,204 | $220,000 | $230,000 | $310,000 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 157 | $120,000 | $168,000 | $235,000 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 126 | $212,500 | $235,000 | $310,000 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 123 | $175,000 | $225,000 | $275,000 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 74 | $109,000 | $189,000 | $235,000 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 65 | $185,000 | $232,500 | $260,000 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 55 | $163,000 | $225,000 | $273,000 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 39 | $120,000 | $150,000 | $225,000 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 39 | $122,000 | $161,500 | $208,500 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 39 | $143,500 | $172,000 | $223,500 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 38 | $211,000 | $225,000 | $235,000 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 30 | $134,000 | $135,500 | $219,500 |
Wage levels
| Level | Share of filings (US) |
|---|---|
| Level I (entry) | 35% |
| Level II (qualified) | 33% |
| Level III (experienced) | 20% |
| Level IV (fully competent) | 12% |
Top sponsors nationally
| Employer | H-1B filings | Median offer | Green card filings (PERM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latham & Watkins LLP | 76 | $283,500 | 40 |
| Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP | 70 | $235,000 | 11 |
| Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP | 62 | $225,000 | 12 |
| Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP | 51 | $235,000 | 6 |
| White & Case LLP | 50 | $230,000 | 9 |
| Kirkland & Ellis LLP | 45 | $310,000 | 22 |
| Sullivan & Cromwell Llp | 45 | $225,000 | 7 |
| Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Llp | 38 | $260,000 | 5 |
| Sidley Austin (US) LLP | 32 | $235,000 | 11 |
| Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP | 31 | $310,000 | 7 |
| Covington & Burling LLP | 28 | $260,000 | 3 |
| Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP | 28 | $225,000 | 7 |
| Mayer Brown LLP | 25 | $260,000 | 11 |
| Cooley LLP | 24 | $310,000 | 12 |
| Goodwin Procter LLP | 24 | $260,000 | 9 |
| Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP | 22 | $285,000 | 4 |
| Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP | 21 | $225,000 | 4 |
| Milbank Llp | 20 | $365,000 | 7 |
| Clifford Chance US LLP | 20 | $222,500 | 1 |
| Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson Llp | 19 | $350,000 | 7 |
Common titles filed under this occupation: Associate, Associate Attorney, Attorney, Law Clerk, Lawyer, Partner, Senior Associate, Law Clerk/Associate, Legal Counsel, Counsel.
Offers from certified Labor Condition Applications (Certified H-1B LCAs decided July 2025 to June 2026); base pay only, annualized. Source: DOL disclosure data. Not legal or financial advice.