17 Lawyer Statistics & Demographics in 2024
Key Lawyer Statistics and Trends in 2024
The legal profession continues to evolve along with the broader legal landscape. As laws and regulations change, lawyers must adapt to new technologies and ways of working. This article provides up-to-date data on the size and makeup of the lawyer population, salary information, adoption of legal tech, and emerging trends.
Highlights
- There are over 1.3 million lawyers in the United States as of 2022
- The lawyer population grew 6.6% over the past decade
- Median lawyer salary is $127,990 per year
- 59% of lawyers use web-based cloud solutions
- The rise of alternative legal services poses a challenge to law firms
U.S. lawyer population from 1980-2022. Source: ABA
Lawyer Population and Demographics
The American Bar Association (ABA) periodically surveys America‘s lawyer population. Let‘s look at some key stats from the ABA‘s most recent report.
1. There are over 1.3 million lawyers in the U.S.
As of 2022, the ABA estimates 1,352,027 lawyers across the country. This represents steady growth over the past four decades. For context, there were only 542,205 lawyers in 1980.
The lawyer population grew 6.6% over the past 10 years. If this rate of growth continues, projections put the total number of lawyers at over 1.5 million by 2032.
2. New York and California have the most lawyers
New York state has the highest number of lawyers at 198,943. This accounts for 15% of the total U.S. lawyer population.
California comes second with 198,694 lawyers, also making up 15% of the overall population.
Lawyers by state. Source: ABA
3. 62% of lawyers are men
The legal profession continues to skew male. Approximately 62% of American lawyers are men, while 38% are women.
However, the number of female lawyers has increased steadily over the past few decades. Back in 1980, only 8% of lawyers were women.
Although a gender gap remains, the male-to-female ratio among newer lawyers is more balanced. About 53% of lawyers under 40 years old are men.
4. 81% of lawyers are white
Racial diversity in the legal profession remains an issue. According to the ABA data, nearly 81% of all lawyers identify as white/Caucasian. Just 5.7% are African American and 5.6% are Asian.
Hispanic/Latin lawyers represent 5.8% of the overall lawyer population as of 2022.
Lawyer Salary and Job Outlook
Beyond population stats, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics sheds light on lawyer salary, areas of practice, job outlook, and more.
5. The median lawyer salary is $127,990
Across all types of lawyers in the U.S., the median annual salary is $127,990. However, lawyer pay can vary widely depending on experience, specialty, and location.
For example, lawyers working in large law firms or as partners tend to earn much higher salaries. The top 10% of earners make $208,000 or more per year.
6. Job growth for lawyers is projected to be 7% through 2030
The BLS expects lawyer employment to grow by 63,200 jobs from 2020 to 2030. This 7% growth rate is faster than the 4% average rate projected across all occupations.
Rising business activity across industries is expected to drive demand for legal services over this period.
7. Most lawyers work full time
The BLS found that as of 2021, 78% of lawyers worked full time hours (at least 35 hours per week). 15% of lawyers worked between 35-39 hours per week, while around 7% worked part-time.
In addition, nearly 21% of lawyers were self-employed in 2021 – typically at small or solo legal practices.
Work hours per week reported by lawyers. Source: BLS
Technology Usage Among Lawyers
As technology transforms nearly every industry, lawyers have had to adapt as well. Law practice management software and cloud-based tools have become commonplace.
8. 59% of lawyers use web-based cloud solutions
Cloud adoption allows lawyers to access files and documents remotely while enabling greater collaboration. According to the ABA‘s 2021 tech survey report:
- 59% of lawyers reported using web-based cloud solutions
- 48% use Software as a Service (SaaS) tools
- 47% use document storage sites like Dropbox
As more courts shift to digital formats and e-filing, cloud usage rates are likely to increase among law practices.
9. 53% of lawyers use laptops daily
The ABA survey also looked at the types of devices lawyers use. 53% reported using laptops on a daily basis in 2021. 44% use desktops computers every day, while only 15% use tablets like iPads for daily work.
When it comes to smartphones, 41% of surveyed lawyers use iPhones while 32% use Android devices.
As portability continues to be important, laptop usage will likely keep rising in the legal industry.
Percentage of lawyers regularly using each device. Source: ABA
Top Practice Areas
Lawyers specialize across a multitude of legal areas catering to individuals and businesses alike. Though the distribution shifts over time, corporate law leads as the top area of practice based on recent ABA data.
10. 24% specialize in corporate law
Nearly a quarter (24%) of lawyers surveyed indicated that corporate law is their main practice area. This includes business formations, M&A, banking, contracts, taxes, and similar matters.
Corporate lawyers provide counsel to all types and sizes of businesses and handle transactions that keep the economy humming.
11. Family law is second at 11%
Coming in second is family law at 11% which involves areas like divorce, child support and custody, and domestic conflicts. Dealing with family legal issues has remained in steady demand.
12. Personal injury comes next at 8%
8% percent of lawyers focus on personal injury law – representing plaintiffs who suffered harm in incidents like car accidents or workplace injuries against allegedly responsible parties.
13. Criminal law and real estate follow at 7% each
7% concentrate on criminal law, defending the accused in violations against the state. An equal percentage of lawyers practice real estate law dealing with home buying/selling, landlord disputes, foreclosures, and property rights issues.
Emerging Legal Industry Trends and Challenges
Like most other industries today, the legal world now faces newfound competition and expectations for efficiency. Traditional law firms must contend with a shifting landscape.
14. Alternative legal services pose a threat
Alternative legal service providers like LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer have enabled more affordable access to common legal documents.
Law firm consultants Musick Peeler found that 46% of lawyers view alternative service providers as a threat to their business. More consumers can now get legal help online rather than using costlier law firms.
15. Pressures to lower billing rates
Surveys indicate that 66% of law firms felt pressure to reduce rates in 2022. With billable hours serving as a key revenue metric for lawyers, lowering rates can directly hurt law firm profitability.
Competition from alternative services combined with client pushback present an evolving market for traditional law practices.
16. Lawyers report staffing shortages
In a constrained hiring environment, 59% of lawyers say their firms have unfulfilled staff openings. Positions like paralegals, legal assistants, and non-lawyer legal roles have been difficult to fill.
Staff shortages lower firm productivity and put strains on those currently employed. Until hiring demand declines and supply rebounds, staffing problems could persist.
Conclusion
This run-through of the latest data paints a picture of a legal industry still growing in size but now adapting to technology shifts and competitive pressures impacting the business of law.
Law firm partners and lawyers looking to enter the field must carefully track trends among legal consumers and best practices for structuring modern, lean firms. Understanding lawyer demographics also signals areas of diversity law firms still need to improve.
All signs point to law remaining a stable profession in demand across economic conditions. But the nature of delivering legal services to clients continues evolving at a rapid pace.
