Market data
Criminal defense in Texas: market data
What public records say about the market for criminal defense in Texas: 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 | 23,015 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Texas state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 2,108 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Texas state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 607 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Texas state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 16,601 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Texas state | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Constitutional county courts: criminal (misdemeanor) cases added | 31,120 cases added | FY 2024-25 | Texas state | state-courts v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23753032 record tx-TX-constitutional-county-criminal-added · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| District courts: criminal (felony) cases added | 296,526 cases added | FY 2024-25 | Texas state | state-courts v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23753032 record tx-TX-district-criminal-added · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Statutory county courts: misdemeanor cases added | 335,253 cases added | FY 2024-25 | Texas state | state-courts v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23753032 record tx-TX-statutory-county-misdemeanor-added · status P · checked 2026-10-27 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 927 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 446 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 94 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 73 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Eastern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXE:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 1,449 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 479 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 136 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 253 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Northern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXN:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 10,790 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 629 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 226 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 9,139 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Southern District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXS:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal criminal defendants charged | 9,849 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal drug defendants | 554 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal fraud defendants | 151 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXW:2026-06-30 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants | 7,136 defendants | 12 months ending 2026-06-30 | Western District of Texas federal district | criminal-filings v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23744206 record criminal-filings:TXW: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 Texas · record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 | 20,920 2025-12-31 | 23,015 2026-06-30 | rising (+10%) |
| Federal drug defendants Texas · record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 | 2,192 2025-12-31 | 2,108 2026-06-30 | falling (-3.8%) |
| Federal fraud defendants Texas · record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 | 517 2025-12-31 | 607 2026-06-30 | rising (+17.4%) |
| Federal immigration-offense defendants Texas · record criminal-filings:state-TX:2026-06-30 | 14,266 2025-12-31 | 16,601 2026-06-30 | rising (+16.4%) |
| Constitutional county courts: criminal (misdemeanor) cases added Texas · record tx-TX-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 31,328 FY 2023-24 | 31,120 FY 2024-25 | falling (-0.7%) |
| District courts: criminal (felony) cases added Texas · record tx-TX-district-criminal-added | 270,604 FY 2023-24 | 296,526 FY 2024-25 | rising (+9.6%) |
| Statutory county courts: misdemeanor cases added Texas · record tx-TX-statutory-county-misdemeanor-added | 328,936 FY 2023-24 | 335,253 FY 2024-25 | rising (+1.9%) |
Lawyer supply
How many law offices and lawyers the federal statistics count here.
| Measure | Value | Period | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawyers admitted | 4,168 lawyers a year | 2025 | Texas state | bar-pipeline v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721443 record tx-bar-pipeline · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties under 1 law office per 10,000 residents | 71 counties | 2026-Q1 | Texas state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-48 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Counties with no law office | 51 counties | 2026-Q1 | Texas state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-48 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Residents living in those low-office counties | 3.1 percent of residents | 2026-Q1 | Texas state | deserts v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721430 record deserts-48 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Employer law firms | 13,172 firms | 2022 | Texas state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-tx-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Receipts of employer law firms | 29,421,960,000 US dollars | 2022 | Texas state | law-firm-economy v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23739997 record lfe-tx-all · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Law offices per 10,000 residents | 5.07 per 10,000 residents | 2026-Q1 | Texas state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-48 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Self-employed lawyers (nonemployer firms) | 25,541 firms | latest Nonemployer Statistics year | Texas state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-48 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Private law offices | 16,079 establishments | 2026-Q1 | Texas state | law-offices v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23721415 record law-offices-48 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Lawyers employed (wage-earning, BLS OEWS) | 56,580 jobs | May 2025 | Texas state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:TX:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Median annual wage of employed lawyers | 154,200 US dollars a year | May 2025 | Texas state | lawyer-wages v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23734840 record lawyer-wages:TX:231011:2025 · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Counties with the most demand per law office
Of the 25 counties in Texas with the most constitutional county courts: criminal (misdemeanor) cases added, the ten with the most per private law office. Both counts are shown with their records.
| County | Demand | Law offices | Per office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karnes County, TX | 364 record tx-karnes-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 1 record law-offices-48255 | 364 |
| Mitchell County, TX | 360 record tx-mitchell-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 2 record law-offices-48335 | 180 |
| Bandera County, TX | 444 record tx-bandera-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 3 record law-offices-48019 | 148 |
| Refugio County, TX | 428 record tx-refugio-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 3 record law-offices-48391 | 143 |
| Robertson County, TX | 408 record tx-robertson-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 3 record law-offices-48395 | 136 |
| Pecos County, TX | 392 record tx-pecos-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 3 record law-offices-48371 | 131 |
| Titus County, TX | 725 record tx-titus-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 6 record law-offices-48449 | 121 |
| Lee County, TX | 461 record tx-lee-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 4 record law-offices-48287 | 115 |
| Gray County, TX | 406 record tx-gray-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 4 record law-offices-48179 | 102 |
| Hardin County, TX | 826 record tx-hardin-constitutional-county-criminal-added | 9 record law-offices-48199 | 91.78 |
Constitutional county courts: criminal (misdemeanor) cases added (state-courts v1.1.0, FY 2024-25) ÷ Private law offices (law-offices v1.0.0, 2026-Q1). ratio = state-courts.constitutional-county-criminal-added / law-offices.qcew_estabs, rounded to 2 decimals; ranked highest first, among the 25 units with the most demand. Units with zero supply are listed apart (ratio undefined); units without a published value are listed as missing.
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) | 11,205 ±1,085 lawyers | 2020-2024 | Texas state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:TX:lawyers-spanish · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English per Spanish-speaking lawyer | 271 ±26.3 people per lawyer | 2020-2024 | Texas state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:TX:lep-per-spanish-lawyer · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English (ACS) | 3,034,861 ±21,917 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Texas state | language v1.1.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23656758 record language:state:TX:spanish-lep · status P · checked 2026-10-25 |
| Spanish speakers with limited English | 3,034,861 ±21,342 people age 5+ | 2020-2024 | Texas state | legal-need v1.0.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23741886 record legal-need-tx · status P · checked 2026-10-28 |
Ad rules that apply
The rules a law firm's ads in Texas 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 | Unless exempt, a lawyer files each ad or solicitation communication with the State Bar's Advertising Review Committee no later than 10 days after dissemination, with a copy, an application and a fee (Rule 7.04(a)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Required content | P primary source | An ad must publish the name of a lawyer responsible for its content and identify the lawyer's primary practice location (Rule 7.02(a)). An ad that mentions contingent fees must say whether the client pays other expenses such as litigation costs (7.02(c)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Waiting periods for contact | P primary source | Under Penal Code 38.12(d), a lawyer commits an offense by sending a written communication, or making a solicitation (in person, by phone, by social media direct message or other electronic communication), to someone who has not sought the lawyer's services,… official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Claims and results | P primary source | A communication may not be false or misleading or substantially likely to create unjustified expectations about results (Rule 7.01(a)). 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 pay or offer anything of value to a person not licensed to practice law for soliciting or referring prospective clients, except nominal thank-you gifts (Rule 7.03(e)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Call recording | P primary source | One-party consent: a party to a call, or a person with one party’s prior consent, may record it, unless the recording is made to commit an unlawful act (Penal Code §16.02(c)(4)). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Texting | P primary source | Since September 1, 2025, a text or image message sent to get someone to buy counts as a “telephone solicitation” (SB 140; Business and Commerce Code §302.001). official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Drug and device injury ads (state statute) | P primary source | Tex. Gov't Code §§ 81.151-81.156 (Subchapter J, Deceptive Advertising Practices; S.B. 1189, 86th Leg., 2019) (effective 2019-09-01): Texas covers only television ads that promote legal services or solicit clients. official source · rules v1.4.0 doi:10.5281/zenodo.23750572 · checked 2026-10-28 |
| Ad filing or review | P primary source | Texas: lawyers must file their ads with a bar or court office, after the ad first runs. The standard fee is $100 per ad. 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 the lawyers assume joint responsibility for the case, and the total fee is not unconscionable or illegal. 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); State trial-court case filings by county, court level and case type: Texas, Washington, Maryland, Indiana and Wisconsin (more states to follow) v1.1.0 (doi:10.5281/zenodo.23753032); CC BY 4.0. https://probativegrowth.com/markets/texas/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.