Per Capita Income by State — Legal Fee Reference
Attorney hourly rates and legal service costs are priced to local market conditions, which track closely with per capita income. Understanding income levels by state helps set expectations for legal costs before engaging an attorney.
Top 10 States — Per Capita Personal Income
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) via FRED • Period: January 2024
All 19 States — Complete Data Table
Click column headers to sort. Data period: January 2024.
| # ↕ | State ↕ | Per Capita Personal Income ↕ | vs Nat'l Avg ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts MA | $93,927 | +30.8% |
| 2 | New York NY | $85,733 | +19.4% |
| 3 | Washington WA | $83,938 | +16.9% |
| 4 | New Hampshire NH | $82,878 | +15.4% |
| 5 | Maryland MD | $78,538 | +9.4% |
| 6 | Nebraska NE | $71,859 | +0.1% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania PA | $71,148 | -0.9% |
| 8 | North Dakota ND | $70,966 | -1.2% |
| 9 | Florida FL | $70,390 | -2.0% |
| 10 | Rhode Island RI | $69,936 | -2.6% |
| 11 | Nevada NV | $68,657 | -4.4% |
| 12 | Kansas KS | $68,038 | -5.2% |
| 13 | Montana MT | $67,615 | -5.8% |
| 14 | Wisconsin WI | $67,586 | -5.9% |
| 15 | North Carolina NC | $64,855 | -9.7% |
| 16 | Missouri MO | $64,740 | -9.8% |
| 17 | Michigan MI | $63,221 | -11.9% |
| 18 | Oklahoma OK | $62,661 | -12.7% |
| 19 | Kentucky KY | $57,526 | -19.9% |
Data Source & Methodology
Per Capita Personal Income from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is the standard proxy for legal service costs. Studies by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association and the American Bar Foundation consistently show that attorney hourly rates in a market correlate with the median household income of that market — typically ranging from 3x to 5x median hourly wages.
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) via FRED
Series type: Annual estimate. Includes wages, salaries, proprietors income, and transfer payments.
Last updated: January 2024
Coverage: All 50 US states