Market data
Criminal defense in Missouri: market data
What public records say about the market for criminal defense in Missouri: how much demand the courts and agencies count, how many law offices serve it, how many people need help in Spanish, and the ad rules that apply. Every number links to the record it comes from.
Demand: what courts and agencies count
Counts of filings, crashes, complaints and enforcement in the records each agency keeps. A count shows where problems were recorded, not how many people will hire a lawyer.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 1,841 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Missouri state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 546 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Missouri state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 158 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Missouri state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 67 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Missouri state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 897 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 257 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 114 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 24 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 944 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 289 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 44 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 43 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Missouri federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:MOW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Rising or falling
The change between the last two periods each source publishes. No threshold and no smoothing.
| Measure | Before | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal criminal defendants charged Missouri · record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 | 1,764 2025-12-31 | 1,841 2026-06-30 | rising (+4.4%) |
| Federal drug defendants Missouri · record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 | 541 2025-12-31 | 546 2026-06-30 | rising (+0.9%) |
| Federal fraud defendants Missouri · record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 | 162 2025-12-31 | 158 2026-06-30 | falling (-2.5%) |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants Missouri · record criminal-filings:state-MO:2026-06-30 | 109 2025-12-31 | 67 2026-06-30 | falling (-38.5%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 1,150 lawyers a year | 2025 | Missouri state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record mo-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 27 counties | 2026-Q1 | Missouri state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-29 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 18 counties | 2026-Q1 | Missouri state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-29 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 4.8 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | Missouri state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-29 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 2,692 firms | 2022 | Missouri state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-mo-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 5,224,234,000 US dollars | 2022 | Missouri state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-mo-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 5.36 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | Missouri state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-29 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 3,790 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | Missouri state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-29 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 3,363 establishments | 2026-Q1 | Missouri state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-29 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 11,560 jobs | May 2025 | Missouri state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:MO:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 133,450 US dollars a year | May 2025 | Missouri state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:MO:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Spanish-language demand
People who speak Spanish and speak English less than very well, and the lawyers who speak Spanish, from the Census Bureau survey (with margins of error).
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers who speak Spanish at home (ACS) | 371 ±177 lawyers | 2020-2024 | Missouri state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:MO:lawyers-spanish · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer | 162 ±77.8 people per lawyer | 2020-2024 | Missouri state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:MO:lep-per-spanish-lawyer · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 60,199 ±2,228 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Missouri state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:MO:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 60,199 ±2,189 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Missouri state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-mo · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in Missouri have to meet, summarized from the official texts. The full rules, with quotes, are on the state page.
| Topic | Status | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | No filing or advance review is required. A lawyer must keep a copy or recording of each ad for two years after its last use, with a record of when and where it ran (4-7.2(b)). Written solicitations are also kept two years (4-7.3(b)(2)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Required content | P primary source | Every ad must carry this conspicuous sentence: "The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements." (4-7.2(f)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Waiting periods for contact | P primary source | A written solicitation about a personal injury or wrongful death, or an accident or disaster involving the person or a relative, may not go out if the event happened less than 30 days before (4-7.3(c)(4)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Claims and results | P primary source | A communication is misleading if it creates an unjustified expectation about results, states past results (such as damage awards) without saying past results guarantee nothing and every case is different, or compares services without factual support… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | A lawyer may not give anything of value for a recommendation, except ad costs, sale-of-practice notice costs, and the usual charges of a qualified lawyer referral service registered under Rule 4-9.1 or another not-for-profit legal services organization… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | A party to a wire (phone) communication, or someone with one party's prior consent, may intercept it, unless the purpose is a criminal or tortious act. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | Telephone solicitations (voice, fax, SMS or MMS) to residential subscribers on the no-call list are barred. A person who gets more than one in 12 months may sue for an injunction and actual loss or up to $5,000 per knowing violation. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | Missouri: no filing or review of lawyer ads is required. official source · filing v1.2.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721409 · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Paying for referrals | P primary source | Lawyers in different firms may split a fee if the split matches the work each does, or if each lawyer takes joint responsibility for the representation, and the total fee is reasonable. official source · referral v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23747113 · checked 2026-10-27 |
Prices and pay (national)
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobs in legal services (seasonally adjusted) | 1,249 thousand jobs | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CES6054110001:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| CPI-U: legal services | 230 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:CUUR0000SEGC01:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| PPI: offices of lawyers | 338 index | 2026-09 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU541110541110:2026-09 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| PPI: criminal legal services | 102 index | 2023-03 | United States United States | legal-prices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854 record legal-prices:PCU541110541110B:2023-03 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Download and cite
The rows behind this page, with every dataset, version, DOI, record id and check date.
Cite as: Probative Growth, The new-lawyer pipeline by jurisdiction: bar exam pass rates and new admissions, 2025 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443); Federal criminal cases by offense and district (U.S. Courts Tables D-1, D-2 and D-3) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206); Legal deserts: law offices and lawyers per resident in every U.S. county v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430); Spanish-speaking demand vs Spanish-speaking lawyer supply, by state and metro v1.1.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758); Law firm size, solos and receipts, by state: Census SUSB 2022, Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and Economic Census 2022 v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997); Law offices, jobs and pay by county, with solo-practice counts: BLS QCEW, Census CBP and Nonemployer Statistics v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415); Lawyer, paralegal and legal-staff pay by state and metro (BLS OEWS) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840); Legal need by county: who may need a lawyer, from the American Community Survey v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886); Legal-services prices and jobs, monthly (BLS CPI, PPI and CES) v1.0.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734854); CC BY 4.0. https://probativegrowth.com/markets/missouri/criminal-defense/
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How this page is built
Each figure is copied from one record of the dataset named with it, joined to this state and practice through the open practice and place crosswalk. Nothing is estimated. Methods, inputs and limits.