Short answer: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), law teachers, postsecondary earned a national mean annual wage of about $144,770 in the most recent release (May 2025), with a median of roughly $127,360 in the detailed May 2023 estimates. Actual pay ranges widely — from about $51,810 at the 10th percentile to $239,200 or more at the top — depending on the school, rank, tenure status, and location.
What law professors actually earn (BLS data)
The most reliable national numbers come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, which tracks “Law Teachers, Postsecondary” (SOC 25-1112). In the detailed May 2023 estimates, about 14,570 law professors were employed nationally:
- Mean annual wage: $142,440 (the May 2025 release put the mean at $144,770)
- Median (50th percentile): $127,360
- 10th percentile: $51,810
- 25th percentile: $77,860
- 75th percentile: $179,700
- 90th percentile: $239,200 or more (BLS caps its top figure at this level)
Most law professors work at colleges, universities, and professional schools, where the mean was about $144,930 — well above junior colleges ($86,940).
Highest-paying states for law professors
By annual mean wage (BLS, May 2023). Note that a state employing very few law professors — such as South Carolina, with only about 50 — can show a high average that swings sharply from year to year:
- South Carolina — $196,470 (small workforce, ~50)
- Michigan — $182,140
- Massachusetts — $168,370
- Illinois — $162,970
- Iowa — $162,160
The states that employ the most law professors are New York (about 2,040 jobs, mean $151,470), California (1,930, $126,550), Florida (1,080, $142,410), Massachusetts (1,060, $168,370), and Pennsylvania (670, $128,660).
Highest-paying metro areas
- Ann Arbor, MI — $191,810
- Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN — $184,900
- Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI — $178,500
- Lansing–East Lansing, MI — $174,590
- Knoxville, TN — $172,400
- Boston–Cambridge–Nashua, MA–NH — $170,540
Why the range is so wide
A single national average hides large differences. What an individual law professor earns depends heavily on:
- Tenure status — tenured and tenure-track professors generally earn far more than adjuncts or visiting faculty, who are often paid per course.
- School prestige and resources — highly ranked, well-funded law schools pay more, and private schools often pay more than public ones.
- Academic rank — full professors out-earn associate and assistant professors.
- Location — pay tracks the local cost of living and legal market.
- Outside income — many professors add consulting, expert-witness work, book royalties, or of-counsel roles, none of which BLS wage data captures.
FAQs
Do law professors earn more than practicing lawyers? It varies. Tenured professors at well-funded schools do well, but the highest earners in law are generally law-firm partners, whose pay can far exceed any professor’s salary. Adjunct instructors, by contrast, often earn far less than a full-time practicing attorney.
How much do adjunct law professors make? Adjuncts are usually paid per course rather than an annual salary, so their earnings can fall well below the figures above. BLS notes that some teaching pay is reported hourly rather than annually.
Is this a growing field? BLS projects employment of postsecondary teachers overall to grow about 7% from 2024 to 2034, though law-specific hiring depends on law-school enrollment.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — Law Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1112), national/state/metro wage estimates (May 2023)
- BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages news release — national mean wage for postsecondary law teachers (May 2025)
- BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Postsecondary Teachers (employment outlook)
Last reviewed: August 2, 2026. Figures are BLS estimates (means and medians); an individual professor’s pay varies widely by school, rank, and tenure status.
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