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Lawyers in United States: official counts by state or territory
The American Bar Association's annual survey counted 1,322,649 resident active attorneys in the United States in 2024, a 0.6% dip from the 1,331,290 recorded in 2023. The survey covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories, and it is the longest running series of its kind: the ABA has been counting lawyers since 1878. Below, the full distribution by jurisdiction.
Lawyers by state or territory (2024)
| # | State or territory | Lawyers | % of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 187,656 | 14.2% |
| 2 | California | 175,883 | 13.3% |
| 3 | Texas | 98,345 | 7.4% |
| 4 | Florida | 80,080 | 6.1% |
| 5 | Illinois | 62,093 | 4.7% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 47,519 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 40,075 | 3.0% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 39,311 | 3.0% |
| 9 | Ohio | 36,488 | 2.8% |
| 10 | Michigan | 34,366 | 2.6% |
| 11 | Georgia | 34,307 | 2.6% |
| 12 | District of Columbia | 33,129 | 2.5% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 26,515 | 2.0% |
| 14 | Washington | 26,318 | 2.0% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 26,065 | 2.0% |
| 16 | Maryland | 26,020 | 2.0% |
| 17 | Missouri | 24,679 | 1.9% |
| 18 | Virginia | 24,120 | 1.8% |
| 19 | Colorado | 23,249 | 1.8% |
| 20 | Louisiana | 19,524 | 1.5% |
| 21 | Tennessee | 19,458 | 1.5% |
| 22 | Connecticut | 18,028 | 1.4% |
| 23 | Arizona | 15,885 | 1.2% |
| 24 | Indiana | 15,485 | 1.2% |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 15,172 | 1.1% |
| 26 | Puerto Rico | 13,864 | 1.0% |
| 27 | Kentucky | 13,632 | 1.0% |
| 28 | Alabama | 12,414 | 0.9% |
| 29 | Oklahoma | 12,245 | 0.9% |
| 30 | Oregon | 12,233 | 0.9% |
| 31 | South Carolina | 11,090 | 0.8% |
| 32 | Utah | 8,537 | 0.6% |
| 33 | Kansas | 7,845 | 0.6% |
| 34 | Nevada | 7,563 | 0.6% |
| 35 | Iowa | 7,190 | 0.5% |
| 36 | Arkansas | 6,808 | 0.5% |
| 37 | Mississippi | 6,699 | 0.5% |
| 38 | Nebraska | 5,839 | 0.4% |
| 39 | New Mexico | 5,404 | 0.4% |
| 40 | West Virginia | 4,600 | 0.3% |
| 41 | Hawaii | 4,139 | 0.3% |
| 42 | Idaho | 4,076 | 0.3% |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 3,815 | 0.3% |
| 44 | Maine | 3,693 | 0.3% |
| 45 | Montana | 3,603 | 0.3% |
| 46 | New Hampshire | 3,461 | 0.3% |
| 47 | Delaware | 3,058 | 0.2% |
| 48 | Alaska | 2,294 | 0.2% |
| 49 | Vermont | 2,198 | 0.2% |
| 50 | South Dakota | 2,042 | 0.2% |
| 51 | Wyoming | 1,726 | 0.1% |
| 52 | North Dakota | 1,663 | 0.1% |
| 53 | Virgin Islands | 654 | 0.0% |
| 54 | Guam | 262 | 0.0% |
| 55 | Northern Mariana Islands | 134 | 0.0% |
| 56 | American Samoa | 55 | 0.0% |
| 57 | Palau | 43 | 0.0% |
New York, California and the Washington DC anomaly
New York remains the country's largest legal market, with 187,656 active attorneys, followed by California (175,883) and Texas (98,345). The 5 largest jurisdictions account for 45.7% of the national total. The curious case is the District of Columbia: 33,129 attorneys in a city of under 700 thousand residents, a direct effect of the concentration of federal government, lobbying and regulatory practices.
Compared with its collection neighbors, the US has 394.9 lawyers per 100k people, behind Brazil (709.7) and ahead of Canada (275.9). Palau, which closes the table with 43 attorneys, makes the survey as a jurisdiction associated with the American system.
Source and method
Data: American Bar Association, 2023-24 National Lawyer Population Survey (2024 count). Coverage: resident active attorneys. Terms of use: ABA copyright; this page transcribes numeric facts (counts) only, with attribution, without reproducing the work. Population ratios use the 2023 estimates cited in the comparative collection page.
An active registration does not mean the professional currently practices: part of the roll does not work as a lawyer day to day. This page publishes aggregate counts per state or territory only, never individual professional records.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources