Demographics

Chapter Outline

Growth of the Legal Profession

Lawyers by State

Lawyers by Gender

Lawyers by Race and Ethnicity

Diversity in U.S. Law Firms

LGBTQ Lawyers

Lawyers with Disabilities

Age

Legal Demand in Metro Areas

Growth of the Legal Profession

There are more than 1.3 million lawyers in the United States. To be more precise, there were 1,327,010 active lawyers as of Jan. 1, 2022, according to the ABA National Lawyer Population Survey, a tally of lawyers in every U.S. state and territory.

Over the past year, from 2021 to 2022, the number of active lawyers counted by the survey fell slightly, by one-tenth of one percent. The drop was largely because of a change in how Alabama counts its lawyers. Previously, Alabama did not distinguish between active and inactive lawyers. For 2022, Alabama tracked only active lawyers. As a result, the Alabama count dropped by 2,843. Consider that the total number of lawyers nationwide dropped by 900 in the survey, so the change in Alabama accounted for all of that drop and more.

Over the past decade, the number of lawyers nationwide has grown by more than 80,000 – an increase of 6.6% from 2012 to 2022.

In the 21st century, the growth of the legal profession has slowed. In the previous century, from 1900 to 2000, the number of lawyers rose 793% – from 114,460 to just over 1 million, an average growth of nearly 8% a year. By contrast, the number of lawyers nationwide has grown roughly 1.4% a year since 2000 – from 1,022,462 in 2000 to 1,327,010 in 2022, an increase of 30%.

The largest increase in lawyers occurred in the 1970s, a decade when the number of lawyers jumped 76% – from 326,000 in 1970 to 574,000 in 1980.

For much of the 20th century, the industry’s growth was much slower: It took 50 years for the number of lawyers to nearly double – from 114,000 in 1900 to 221,000 in 1950. It took less than 30 years for that number to double again – from 221,000 in 1950 to 464,000 in 1978.

Source: ABA National Lawyer Population Survey

Fast Facts:

• 6.6% – Increase in the number of lawyers from 2012 to 2022

• 1970s – Decade when the number of lawyers grew fastest, by 76%

Lawyer Growth: 1900 - 2022

Lawyers by State

10 States with the
Most Lawyers: 2020

One-fourth of all the lawyers are in just two states: New York (187,246 lawyers) and California (170,306 lawyers). Combined, they have 27% of the nation’s lawyers.

North Dakota has the fewest lawyers: 1,685.

Nationwide, there are four lawyers for every 1,000 residents, but some states have far more. Not surprisingly, New York tops the list with 9.3 lawyers per 1,000 residents. California is NOT second on the list; it has 4.3 lawyers per 1,000 residents – just slightly more than the national average. Maryland is No. 2 with 6.6 lawyers per 1,000 residents.

South Carolina has the fewest lawyers per capita: 2.1 lawyers for every 1,000 residents, or roughly half the national average.

Where is the lawyer population growing fastest? It’s not in the largest states. Topping the list is North Carolina, where the number of active lawyers grew 21% in the past decade, followed by Georgia and Texas (both 18%) and Utah (17%).

Maryland reported unusually large lawyer growth in the past decade because the state changed how it reported lawyer residents, not necessarily because it experienced large growth.

Ten states reported they lost lawyers over the past decade, led by Alabama (-15%), Alaska (-12%) and Ohio (-8%).

Sources: ABA National Lawyer Population Survey / U.S. Census Bureau

Fast Fact:

• Where will you find the most lawyers per capita? The District of Columbia has just under 700,000 residents – less than Alaska – but it has one lawyer living in the district for every 40 residents.

Lawyers per 1,000 Residents in each State: 2022

State	Lawyers	2021 population	Lawyers per 1,000 population
New York	187,246	20,201,249	9.3
Maryland	40,800	6,177,224	6.6
Massachusetts	42,635	7,029,917	6.1
Connecticut	21,036	3,605,944	5.8
Illinois	62,720	12,812,508	4.9
Minnesota	26,065	5,706,494	4.6
New Jersey	40,078	9,288,994	4.3
California	170,306	39,538,223	4.3
Louisiana	19,714	4,657,757	4.2
Missouri	24,674	6,154,913	4.0
Colorado	22,802	5,773,714	3.9
Pennsylvania	49,412	13,002,700	3.8
Rhode Island	4,081	1,097,379	3.7
Florida	77,223	21,538,187	3.6
Michigan	35,139	10,077,331	3.5
Washington	26,428	7,705,281	3.4
Vermont	2,198	643,077	3.4
Oklahoma	13,415	3,959,353	3.4
Texas	95,196	29,145,505	3.3
Georgia	33,729	10,711,908	3.1
Delaware	3,058	989,948	3.1
Kentucky	13,672	4,505,836	3.0
Wyoming	1,704	576,851	3.0
Montana	3,191	1,084,225	2.9
Ohio	34,692	11,799,448	2.9
Nebraska	5,689	1,961,504	2.9
Oregon	12,285	4,237,256	2.9
Alaska	2,118	733,391	2.9
Hawaii	4,184	1,455,271	2.9
Virginia	23,923	8,631,393	2.8
Tennessee	18,818	6,910,840	2.7
Kansas	7,918	2,937,880	2.7
Maine	3,669	1,362,359	2.7
New Mexico	5,634	2,117,522	2.7
Utah	8,581	3,271,616	2.6
Wisconsin	15,384	5,893,718	2.6
West Virginia	4,673	1,793,716	2.6
New Hampshire	3,495	1,377,529	2.5
North Carolina	25,735	10,439,388	2.5
Nevada	7,484	3,104,614	2.4
Alabama	12,054	5,024,279	2.4
Indiana	15,794	6,785,528	2.3
Iowa	7,405	3,190,369	2.3
Mississippi	6,814	2,961,279	2.3
South Dakota	2,026	886,667	2.3
Arkansas	6,808	3,011,524	2.3
Arizona	15,805	7,151,502	2.2
Idaho	4,047	1,839,106	2.2
North Dakota	1,685	779,094	2.2
South Carolina	11,003	5,118,425	2.1
TOTAL	1,327,010	330,759,736	4.0

For number of lawyers in each U.S. county as of Jan. 1, 2020, see the 2021 Profile of the Legal Profession.

Lawyers by Gender

Over the past decade, the percentage of female lawyers has increased slowly. It stood at 33% in 2012 and grew to 38% in 2022. In other words, male attorneys still greatly outnumber female attorneys – though that is gradually changing as more women, and fewer men, are enrolling in law school every year.

The gender numbers have changed drastically over the past half-century. From 1950 to 1970, only 3% of all lawyers were women. The percentage has edged up gradually since then – to 8% in 1980, 20% in 1991, 27% in 2000 and 37% in 2021.

The first female lawyer in the United States was Margaret Brent, in 1648 in Maryland. The ABA created the Margaret Brent Award in 1991 to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of female lawyers.

The American Bar Association admitted the first two women as members in 1918 – Mary Florence Lathrop of Denver and Mary Grossman of Cleveland. The first female president of the American Bar Association was Roberta Cooper Ramo of New Mexico in 1995. There have been 10 female ABA presidents, including five of the last seven, as of 2022.

Source: ABA National Lawyer Population Survey

Fast Fact:

• Most state bars and state licensing agencies track gender in the profession, but not all do. In 2022, 44 states reported the number of male and female lawyers – up from 42 states in 2011.

2012 Lawyer Gender

2022 Lawyer Gender

Lawyers by Race and Ethnicity

The number of Asian American, Hispanic and mixed-race lawyers reported in the ABA National Lawyer Population Survey grew substantially in the past decade.

Note: About half of all state bars and licensing agencies track race and ethnicity in the profession. In 2022, 26 states reported the race and ethnicity of lawyers.

White people are still overrepresented in the legal profession compared with their presence in the U.S. population, but that is slowly changing. Ten years ago, in 2012, lawyers of color were 12% of the profession. A decade later, in 2022, they were 19% of the profession.

The biggest change was in the number of Asian American lawyers. Last year, in 2021, the National Lawyer Population Survey found 2.5% of all lawyers were Asian American. That number more than doubled in 2022 to 5.5%. The change occurred largely because California began reporting the race and ethnicity of its lawyers in 2022. California has a huge number of lawyers – 170,000 – and 13% of them are Asian American. Asian Americans are now represented in the legal profession very close to their share of the U.S. population (5.9%).

The percentage of Hispanic lawyers nationwide also rose – from 3.5% in 2012 to 5.8% a decade later in 2022, according to the survey. It rose a full percentage point in 2022 alone. Again, this was likely caused by California starting to count race and ethnicity among its lawyers. Still, Hispanics are underrepresented among lawyers compared with their share of the U.S. population (18.5%).

The number of mixed-race lawyers also grew. None were counted in 2014 and 2015, but by 2022 they were 2.7% of all lawyers. That’s almost identical to their share of the U.S. population (2.8%).

Meanwhile, the number of Black lawyers is virtually unchanged, according to the survey. Black lawyers were 4.7% of the profession in 2012 and 4.5% in 2022. That’s far less than the percentage of Black people in the U.S. population (13.4%).

Native Americans are the smallest racial or ethnic group among U.S. lawyers. One-half of 1% of all lawyers (0.5%) were Native American in 2022 – nearly unchanged from 0.6% a decade earlier. The U.S. population is 1.3% Native American.

Finally, the percentage of white lawyers has declined. White lawyers were 88.4% of the profession in 2012, but 81.0% in 2022. They are still overrepresented compared to the U.S. population. Non-Hispanic white people are 60.1% of the national population.

Sources: ABA National Lawyer Population Survey / U.S. Census Bureau

Lawyers by Race and Ethnicity: 2022

Diversity in U.S. Law Firms

For the 28th consecutive year, the percentage of law firm partners who are lawyers of color rose in 2021, according to the National Association for Law Placement Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms.

The increase has been slow but steady. Viewed year by year, the change is almost imperceptible. But viewed over the span of decades, it is easier to see, and it is accelerating.

In 1993, when NALP began tracking race and ethnicity of law firm partners, 2.55% of all partners were lawyers of color. The number has increased every year since then.

In 2021, 10.75% of all law firm partners were lawyers of color, according to the NALP report. Nearly half of those partners of color (46%) were Asian American. Another 31% were Hispanic and 24% Black.

The accelerating change from decade to decade is striking. During the 1990s and 2000s, the increase in the percentage of partners of color was very slow – usually between 0.1 and 0.3 percentage points each year. But in recent years, the change has accelerated. From 2019 to 2020, the percentage of partners who are lawyers of color increased by 0.68 percentage points. From 2020 to 2021, it increased by 0.52 percentage points.

The numbers are much higher for law firm associates. In 2021, 27.6% of all associates were lawyers of color. That number increased more than 1 percentage point each year in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Law firm diversity varies dramatically across the country. At one extreme, 30% of all law firm partners in Miami are lawyers of color – the largest percentage in the country. At the other extreme, just 3% of partners in Pittsburgh are lawyers of color – the lowest percentage in the country.

Law firm diversity is particularly strong in California. Among the top six cities and metro areas in the country for law firm diversity, all but one are in California: Silicon Valley, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orange County. Two more are in the Washington, D.C. metro area: Northern Virginia and the capital city itself.

On the flip side, half of the bottom 10 areas for law firm diversity are in the Midwest: Cleveland, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee and Kansas City.

City size appears to have no correlation to law firm diversity. For example, while Los Angeles, Houston, San Diego and San Jose are among the 10 largest U.S. cities by population and by diversity of law firms, Philadelphia – the nation’s sixth-largest city – fares poorly for law firm diversity. Only 7% of all law firm partners in Philadelphia are lawyers of color.

Source: National Association for Law Placement 2021 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms

Law Firm Partners
of Color: 2021

Partners and Associates of Color 1993-2021

LGBTQ Lawyers

The number of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) lawyers at American law firms continues to grow slowly, according to an annual survey by the National Association for Law Placement.

The 2021 survey found 3,653 lawyers who identify as LGBTQ at 849 law offices across the country. That represents 3.7% of the 99,606 lawyers at those firms. A decade earlier, in 2011, the same survey found 2,087 lawyers who identify as LGBTQ at American law firms, or 1.9% of all lawyers.

The same trend is evident among law firm associates. In 2011, 2.4% of all associates reported they were LGBTQ. In 2021, the figure was 5.4%.

The percentage of law firm summer associates who report they are LGBTQ is substantially higher. In 2021, 8.47% of all summer associates said they were LGBTQ, according to the survey.

No reliable statistics are available on the total number of lawyers who identify as LGBTQ in the legal profession overall.

Source: National Association for Law Placement 2021 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms

Fast Fact:

Law students are much more likely to be openly LGBTQ than law firm lawyers: 8.4% of law firm summer associates describe themselves as LGBTQ – more than double the percentage of all law firm lawyers who describe themselves as LGBTQ (3.7%).

LGBTQ Partners and Associates: 2011 - 2021

Lawyers with Disabilities

The number of lawyers at American law firms who report having disabilities remains small – just over 1% of all lawyers. Because the number is so small, it is difficult to draw any conclusions about trends, according to a 2021 survey by the National Association for Law Placement.

The survey found 865 lawyers who say they have disabilities at 641 law offices across the country. That represents 1.22% of the 70,980 lawyers in those offices.

The percentage of law firm partners who say they have disabilities is slightly lower – 1.07% – according to the 2021 survey. Still, that is more than triple the percentage for most of the past decade, when it fluctuated between 0.2% and 0.3%.

More lawyers who are associates are also reporting they have disabilities. In 2021, a little over 1% of all law firm associates (1.25%) reported having a disability. This is double the percentage of associates who reported having a disability just two years earlier (0.59%).

No reliable statistics exist on the total number of lawyers with disabilities throughout the legal profession.

Source: National Association for Law Placement 2021 Report on Diversity in U.S. Law Firms

Partners and Associates with Disabilities: 2011 - 2021

Age

Lawyers are older than most American workers, on average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median age for lawyers in 2021 was 46.5 years old, which means half were younger and half older. By comparison, the median age of all U.S. workers was 42.2 – four years younger than the typical lawyer.

There are two reasons. First, very few lawyers are younger than 25, but roughly 12% of all American workers are younger than 25. Second, many lawyers work past age 65. Nearly 13% of all lawyers – that’s 1 in 8 – are 65 or older. Only 7% of all U.S. workers are 65 or older.

The age of a typical lawyer varies year by year. It rose steadily from 2003 to 2012, then dropped for a few years, bottoming out in 2016, then rose again. It dropped a bit again in 2020 and 2021, but it’s not clear if that’s an actual drop caused by, say, the retirement of older lawyers during the COVID-19 pandemic or by random variation in the small sample in the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual survey.

Going back several decades, the typical lawyer was younger than today. In 1980, the median age for all U.S. lawyers was 39. That’s more than seven years younger than the median age of 46.5 in 2021.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Age 2021: Lawyers Compared With All U.S. Workers

Median Age of Lawyers: 2003 - 2021

Legal Demand in Metro Areas

The demand for lawyers is high in Washington, D.C., and New York City. But did you know the demand is also high in Tallahassee and Miami, Florida, and Santa Fe, New Mexico? Those are the five metropolitan areas with the highest demand for legal services in the United States in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The bureau measures employment and wages for more than 800 occupations in more than 380 metropolitan areas. One thing the bureau measures is demand for each occupation in each metro area. It’s called the “location quotient” – a single number that shows demand for an occupation in one area compared to the nation as a whole.*

For 2021 – as in all previous years – the Washington, D.C., area had the highest demand for lawyers of all metro areas. In fact, the location quotient for lawyers in the D.C. area was 3.12 – three times the national average. The demand for lawyers in the New York City area was 2.03 – double the national average.

Surprisingly, most of the other top 10 metro areas for lawyer demand in 2021 were not huge cities, but many were state capitals. They were, in order: Tallahassee (2.51), Miami (2.09), Santa Fe (1.95), Trenton, New Jersey (1.85), Charleston, West Virginia (1.85), Denver (1.60), Philadelphia (1.54) and San Francisco (1.53).

Many other state capitals have high demand for lawyers. For example, Albany, New York; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Montgomery, Alabama; Hartford, Connecticut; and Sacramento, California; are all in the top 20 metro areas nationally for lawyer demand.

But not all state capitals have high location quotients for lawyers. Twelve state capitals are actually below the national average for lawyer demand, including such large cities as Phoenix, Arizona; Honolulu, Hawaii; Columbus, Ohio; and Nashville, Tennessee.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / Occupational Employment Statistics

*The location quotient represents the ratio of an occupation’s share of employment in a given area to that occupation’s share of employment in the U.S. as a whole. For example, an occupation that makes up 10% of employment in a metro area compared with 2% of U.S. employment would have a location quotient of 5 for that area.

Note: About half of all state bars and licensing agencies track race and ethnicity in the profession. In 2022, 26 states reported the race and ethnicity of lawyers.

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