{"meta":{"dataset":"legal-profession-figures","title":"Legal profession figures: lawyer and paralegal jobs and pay, and the civil legal-help gap, each re-read at the issuing source","version":"1.0.0","doi":"10.5281/zenodo.23851292","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23851292","conceptDoi":"10.5281/zenodo.23851291","license":"CC BY 4.0","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Source: Probative, Legal profession figures: lawyer and paralegal jobs and pay, and the civil legal-help gap, each re-read at the issuing source, version 1.0.0, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23851292, licensed CC BY 4.0.","citation":"Probative. (2026). Legal profession figures: lawyer and paralegal jobs and pay, and the civil legal-help gap, each re-read at the issuing source (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23851292","disclaimer":"Not legal advice. These are figures as the issuing agencies published them on the date read; agencies revise them, so check the source page.","notice":"Probative is a marketing firm, not a law firm; not legal advice.","lastChecked":"2026-10-31","url":"https://probativegrowth.com/data/v1/legal-profession-figures/legal-profession-figures.json","humanUrl":"https://probativegrowth.com/data/legal-profession-figures/","statusCodes":{"P":"primary source","S":"secondary source"}},"key":"group","records":[{"id":"legal-profession-figures:FIGURE-LAWYERS-JOBS","dataset":"legal-profession-figures","group":"FIGURE-LAWYERS-JOBS","groupType":"lawyers","segment":"lawyers-jobs","status":"P","text":"Employed lawyers (employees only), May 2025: 754,500 employees. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), lawyers, Public Data API, read 2026-10-31.","value":754500,"unit":"754,500 employees","displayValue":"754,500","figure":"Employed lawyers (employees only), May 2025","sourceName":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), lawyers, Public Data API","sourceUrl":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023101101","quote":"series OEUN000000000000023101101, 2025: 754500","read":"2026-10-31","version":"1.0.0","sources":[{"label":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), lawyers, Public Data API (read 2026-10-31)","url":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023101101","kind":"official"}],"lastChecked":"2026-10-31","confidence":"medium","confidenceBasis":"one primary source, no second check"},{"id":"legal-profession-figures:FIGURE-LAWYERS-PAY","dataset":"legal-profession-figures","group":"FIGURE-LAWYERS-PAY","groupType":"lawyers","segment":"lawyers-pay","status":"P","text":"Median annual wage of lawyers, May 2025: $159,670 per year. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), lawyers, Public Data API, read 2026-10-31.","value":159670,"unit":"$159,670 per year","displayValue":"$159,670","figure":"Median annual wage of lawyers, May 2025","sourceName":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), lawyers, Public Data API","sourceUrl":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023101113","quote":"series OEUN000000000000023101113, 2025: 159670","read":"2026-10-31","version":"1.0.0","sources":[{"label":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), lawyers, Public Data API (read 2026-10-31)","url":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023101113","kind":"official"}],"lastChecked":"2026-10-31","confidence":"medium","confidenceBasis":"one primary source, no second check"},{"id":"legal-profession-figures:FIGURE-PARALEGALS-JOBS","dataset":"legal-profession-figures","group":"FIGURE-PARALEGALS-JOBS","groupType":"paralegals","segment":"paralegals-jobs","status":"P","text":"Employed paralegals and legal assistants (employees only), May 2025: 392,880 employees. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), paralegals and legal assistants, Public Data API, read 2026-10-31.","value":392880,"unit":"392,880 employees","displayValue":"392,880","figure":"Employed paralegals and legal assistants (employees only), May 2025","sourceName":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), paralegals and legal assistants, Public Data API","sourceUrl":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023201101","quote":"series OEUN000000000000023201101, 2025: 392880","read":"2026-10-31","version":"1.0.0","sources":[{"label":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), paralegals and legal assistants, Public Data API (read 2026-10-31)","url":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023201101","kind":"official"}],"lastChecked":"2026-10-31","confidence":"medium","confidenceBasis":"one primary source, no second check"},{"id":"legal-profession-figures:FIGURE-PARALEGALS-PAY","dataset":"legal-profession-figures","group":"FIGURE-PARALEGALS-PAY","groupType":"paralegals","segment":"paralegals-pay","status":"P","text":"Median annual wage of paralegals and legal assistants, May 2025: $62,890 per year. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), paralegals and legal assistants, Public Data API, read 2026-10-31.","value":62890,"unit":"$62,890 per year","displayValue":"$62,890","figure":"Median annual wage of paralegals and legal assistants, May 2025","sourceName":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), paralegals and legal assistants, Public Data API","sourceUrl":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023201113","quote":"series OEUN000000000000023201113, 2025: 62890","read":"2026-10-31","version":"1.0.0","sources":[{"label":"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), paralegals and legal assistants, Public Data API (read 2026-10-31)","url":"https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/OEUN000000000000023201113","kind":"official"}],"lastChecked":"2026-10-31","confidence":"medium","confidenceBasis":"one primary source, no second check"},{"id":"legal-profession-figures:FIGURE-LSC-UNMET","dataset":"legal-profession-figures","group":"FIGURE-LSC-UNMET","groupType":"access","segment":"lsc-unmet","status":"P","text":"Civil legal problems of low-income Americans with no or not enough legal help, 2022: 92% of problems. Source: Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022), read 2026-10-31.","value":92,"unit":"92% of problems","displayValue":"92%","figure":"Civil legal problems of low-income Americans with no or not enough legal help, 2022","sourceName":"Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022)","sourceUrl":"https://justicegap.lsc.gov/","quote":"any or enough legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems","read":"2026-10-31","version":"1.0.0","sources":[{"label":"Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022) (read 2026-10-31)","url":"https://justicegap.lsc.gov/","kind":"official"}],"lastChecked":"2026-10-31","confidence":"medium","confidenceBasis":"one primary source, no second check"},{"id":"legal-profession-figures:FIGURE-LSC-COST","dataset":"legal-profession-figures","group":"FIGURE-LSC-COST","groupType":"access","segment":"lsc-cost","status":"P","text":"Low-income Americans who did not seek help and cite cost, 2022: 46% of those who did not seek help. Source: Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022), read 2026-10-31.","value":46,"unit":"46% of those who did not seek help","displayValue":"46%","figure":"Low-income Americans who did not seek help and cite cost, 2022","sourceName":"Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022)","sourceUrl":"https://justicegap.lsc.gov/","quote":"Nearly one-half (46%) of those who did not seek legal help","read":"2026-10-31","version":"1.0.0","sources":[{"label":"Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022) (read 2026-10-31)","url":"https://justicegap.lsc.gov/","kind":"official"}],"lastChecked":"2026-10-31","confidence":"medium","confidenceBasis":"one primary source, no second check"},{"id":"legal-profession-figures:FIGURE-LSC-DOUBT","dataset":"legal-profession-figures","group":"FIGURE-LSC-DOUBT","groupType":"access","segment":"lsc-doubt","status":"P","text":"Low-income Americans who doubt they could find an affordable lawyer, 2022: 53% of low-income Americans. Source: Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022), read 2026-10-31.","value":53,"unit":"53% of low-income Americans","displayValue":"53%","figure":"Low-income Americans who doubt they could find an affordable lawyer, 2022","sourceName":"Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022)","sourceUrl":"https://justicegap.lsc.gov/","quote":"more than one-half (53%) of low-income Americans doubt their ability to find a lawyer","read":"2026-10-31","version":"1.0.0","sources":[{"label":"Legal Services Corporation, The Justice Gap (2022) (read 2026-10-31)","url":"https://justicegap.lsc.gov/","kind":"official"}],"lastChecked":"2026-10-31","confidence":"medium","confidenceBasis":"one primary source, no second check"}]}