State rankings

Average Attorney Fees by State

District of Columbia has the highest Avg Hourly Attorney Rate in 2024 ($462), followed by Delaware ($423) and New York ($398). West Virginia has the lowest ($195).

51 of 51 states
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Avg Hourly Attorney Rate, 2024

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
$292
Middle half $267 – $326
Average
$300
51 states
Highest
$462
District of Columbia
Lowest
$195
West Virginia

Over time · 2021–2024

The top 5 in 2024, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • District of Columbia
  • Delaware
  • New York
  • California
  • Connecticut

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

51 states · # = rank by Avg Hourly Attorney Rate
#
1District of Columbia$462
2Delaware$423
3New York$398
4California$391
5Connecticut$384
6Virginia$351
7Illinois$349
8New Jersey$348
9Texas$345
10Maryland$344
11Georgia$340
12Florida$335
13Nevada$330
14Washington$322
15Massachusetts$318
16Rhode Island$317
17Hawaii$312
18Minnesota$305
19Pennsylvania$302
19Colorado$302
21Alaska$300
22Oregon$296
23North Carolina$295
24Michigan$294
24New Hampshire$294
26Kansas$292
27Utah$291
28Wyoming$290
29Arizona$287
29South Carolina$287
31North Dakota$285
32Tennessee$281
33Missouri$280
34Indiana$278
34Wisconsin$278
36Arkansas$271
37Ohio$268
38Idaho$267
38Vermont$267
40Louisiana$266
41New Mexico$261
42Oklahoma$257
43Nebraska$256
44Iowa$254
45Alabama$246
46South Dakota$245
47Mississippi$242
48Kentucky$236
48Maine$236
50Montana$234
51West Virginia$195

What correlates with Avg Hourly Attorney Rate (2024)?

Pearson r against 2,097 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Avg Hourly Attorney Rate tend to score higher on these

  1. Average EarningsLawyer-Friendly States
    r = +0.85 · very strong · n = 48
    Plot
  2. Five Percent Income Tax RateTop 1 Percent Threshold by State
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  3. Abortion Rate per 1k Women Aged 15-44Abortions Due to Rape by State
    r = +0.80 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  4. Average Credit Card DebtDebt by State
    r = +0.79 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. Price Level (Housing Rents)Cost of Living by State (Regional Price Parities)
    r = +0.78 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Annual IncomeAverage Income by State
    r = +0.77 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Avg Hourly Attorney Rate tend to score lower on these

  1. Rural PopulationMost Rural States in the U.S.
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Average Pct of Households That Own Guns 2007–2016Guns per Capita
    r = −0.70 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Presidential Margin (Republican minus Democratic, Points)Presidential Election Results by State, 2016–2024
    r = −0.70 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  4. Trump % Vote RecievedTrump Approval Rating by State
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  5. Trump VotesMost Republican States
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Republican Vote Share (President, %)Presidential Election Results by State, 2016–2024
    r = −0.69 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Avg Hourly Attorney Rate?
District of Columbia has the highest Avg Hourly Attorney Rate in 2024, at $462, followed by Delaware ($423) and New York ($398).
Which state has the lowest Avg Hourly Attorney Rate?
West Virginia has the lowest Avg Hourly Attorney Rate in 2024, at $195.
What is the median Avg Hourly Attorney Rate across US states?
The median is $292 across the 51 US states with data in 2024.
Where does this average attorney fees by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: How Much Do Lawyers Cost: Fees Broken Down By State - Contracts Counsel; What the “State of the US Legal Market” report showed about law firm billing rate performance in 2023 and where it may go in 2024 - Reuters; Average lawyer hourly rates by state - Clio; Lawyer Hourly Rate & Fees by State - LawPay.

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