Average Staff Attorney Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Staff Attorney salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Staff Attorney Make in United States?

A Staff Attorney working in United States will typically earn around 147,900 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 75,000 USD to the highest average salary of 223,700 USD.

Average Annual Salary
147,900 USD
Average Monthly Salary
12,325 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
75,000 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
6,250 USD

Highest Annual Salary
223,700 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
18,641 USD

These are average salaries for a Staff Attorney in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Staff Attorney to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Staff Attorney salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Staff Attorney Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Staff Attorney will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Staff Attorney can earn between 75,000 USD and 223,700 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Staff Attorney in United States is 142,300 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 142,300 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 142,300 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Staff Attorney salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 99,100 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 99,100 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 180,500 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 180,500 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Staff Attorney Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average staff attorney salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Staff Attorney in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 84,900 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Staff Attorney salary would increase to 109,700 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Staff Attorney, the average salary would be 153,800 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 184,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Staff Attorney with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 199,700 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Staff Attorney with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 216,300 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
84,900 USD
2-5 Years +31%
109,700 USD
5-10 Years +40%
153,800 USD
10-15 Years +20%
184,700 USD
15-20 Years +9%
199,700 USD
20+ Years +8%
216,300 USD

Staff Attorney Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Staff Attorney in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Staff Attorney in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 102,700 USD.

  • Master's Degree. A Staff Attorney in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 183,900 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
102,700 USD
Master's Degree +77%
183,900 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Staff Attorney Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male staff attorney will earn an average of 151,800 USD, while a female staff attorney will earn around 140,200 USD.

This means that a male staff attorney earns approximately 8% more than a female staff attorney for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
151,800 USD
Female -8%
140,200 USD

Staff Attorney Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Staff Attorney in United States is around 11% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Staff Attorney in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Staff Attorney Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Staff Attorney is a moderate bonus based job, with 56% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

44% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
56%
No Bonus
44%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Staff Attorney

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Staff Attorney in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Administrative Law Judge Legal 245,400 USD
Arbitrator Legal 119,700 USD
Associate Attorney Legal 117,100 USD
Attorney Legal 192,600 USD
Bailiff Legal 58,200 USD
Barrister Legal 49,700 USD
Candidate Attorney Legal 114,600 USD
Conciliator Legal 95,300 USD
Contracts Associate Legal 59,200 USD
Contracts Manager Legal 108,200 USD
Contracts Negotiator Legal 88,300 USD
Contracts Specialist Legal 62,500 USD
Conveyancing Secretary Legal 48,600 USD
Corporate Counsel Legal 137,100 USD
Counsel Legal 134,700 USD
Court Clerk Legal 45,200 USD
Court Judicial Assistant Legal 75,500 USD
Court Liaison Specialist Legal 81,000 USD
Court Reporter Legal 76,000 USD
Court Representative Legal 57,800 USD
Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer Legal 257,700 USD
General Counsel Legal 250,600 USD
Immigration Executive Legal 130,500 USD
In House Counsel Legal 142,300 USD
Intellectual Property Specialist Legal 99,600 USD
Judge Advocate Legal 192,600 USD
Law Clerk Legal 43,800 USD
Lawyer Legal 177,100 USD
Legal Administrative Assistant Legal 49,300 USD
Legal Advisor Legal 116,400 USD
Legal Assistant Legal 46,700 USD
Legal Associate Legal 87,000 USD
Legal Consultant Legal 118,900 USD
Legal Consultant Legal 119,700 USD
Legal Counsel Legal 132,000 USD
Legal Editor Legal 93,800 USD
Legal Executive Legal 167,100 USD
Legal Executive Secretary Legal 51,300 USD
Legal IP Officer Legal 45,000 USD
Legal Officer Legal 59,500 USD
Legal Secretary Legal 55,400 USD
Legal Services Director Legal 211,200 USD
Legal Services Manager Legal 209,700 USD
Legal Support Worker Legal 34,400 USD
Legislative Liaison Legal 91,500 USD
Litigation Attorney Legal 223,800 USD
Litigation Paralegal Legal 108,200 USD
Magistrate Judge Legal 278,500 USD
Paralegal Legal 72,400 USD
Patent Attorney Legal 147,900 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 138,700 USD
Austin 161,300 USD
Baltimore 151,800 USD
Boston 160,700 USD
Bristol 123,800 USD
Chicago 180,500 USD
Cincinnati 132,000 USD
Cleveland 137,100 USD
Dallas 163,500 USD
Denver 156,200 USD
Detroit 153,700 USD
Honolulu 124,500 USD
Houston 167,100 USD
Indianapolis 160,700 USD
Iowa City 127,700 USD
Jacksonville 160,700 USD
Kansas City 142,300 USD
Kent 128,200 USD
Las Vegas 150,100 USD
Long Beach 134,700 USD
Los Angeles 180,500 USD
Memphis 151,800 USD
Miami 139,100 USD
Minneapolis 137,100 USD
New Orleans 141,000 USD
New York 180,500 USD
Oakland 132,000 USD
Oklahoma City 150,100 USD
Orlando 130,500 USD
Philadelphia 163,800 USD
Phoenix 167,100 USD
Sacramento 139,100 USD
San Antonio 163,800 USD
San Diego 172,300 USD
San Francisco 166,600 USD
San Jose 169,700 USD
Seattle 151,800 USD
Tampa 130,500 USD
Vancouver 123,000 USD
Washington D.C. 151,800 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 151,800 USD
Alaska 132,000 USD
Arizona 158,700 USD
Arkansas 146,900 USD
California 171,300 USD
Colorado 153,700 USD
Connecticut 153,800 USD
Delaware 140,200 USD
District of Columbia 128,200 USD
Florida 158,700 USD
Georgia 158,900 USD
Hawaii 137,100 USD
Idaho 138,700 USD
Illinois 164,100 USD
Indiana 156,200 USD
Iowa 147,900 USD
Kansas 148,300 USD
Kentucky 152,900 USD
Louisiana 152,700 USD
Maine 142,300 USD
Maryland 164,100 USD
Massachusetts 150,100 USD
Michigan 157,600 USD
Minnesota 146,900 USD
Mississippi 142,100 USD
Missouri 153,800 USD
Montana 137,100 USD
Nebraska 142,100 USD
Nevada 146,700 USD
New Hampshire 141,000 USD
New Jersey 163,500 USD
New Mexico 148,300 USD
New York 172,100 USD
North Carolina 152,700 USD
North Dakota 127,700 USD
Ohio 158,900 USD
Oklahoma 142,300 USD
Oregon 147,900 USD
Pennsylvania 164,100 USD
Rhode Island 134,700 USD
South Carolina 153,800 USD
South Dakota 138,700 USD
Tennessee 160,600 USD
Texas 172,100 USD
Utah 146,900 USD
Vermont 139,100 USD
Virginia 152,900 USD
Washington 152,900 USD
West Virginia 138,700 USD
Wisconsin 151,800 USD
Wyoming 130,500 USD

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