National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Software Engineers earn a national median of $132,270/year vs Lawyers at $145,760/year. Lawyers earn 10% more nationally. The gap is $13,490 per year — or $1,124 per month.
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Software Engineer
$132,270
national median/year
$11,023/mo • $64/hr
VS
Lawyer
$145,760
national median/year
$12,147/mo • $70/hr
Annual salary gap
$13,490
Lawyers earn 10% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $152,913.
Best states for Lawyers
vs Software Engineers
New York+$40,000
Illinois+$26,000
Texas+$26,000
Connecticut+$20,000
Delaware+$20,000
Best states for Software Engineers
vs Lawyers
Oregon+$10,000
Washington+$10,000
Utah+$6,000
Colorado+$0
Idaho+$0
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Lawyers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Software Engineers is $132,270 versus $145,760 for Lawyers — a difference of $13,490 per year or $1,124 per month.
The national median salary gap between Software Engineers and Lawyers is $13,490 per year. Lawyers earn 10% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $152,913.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Software Engineers the highest median salary at $168,320 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, New York pays Lawyers the highest median salary at $188,320 per year.
Salary is one factor — Lawyers earn more nationally. But career choice involves job satisfaction, work-life balance, education requirements, and job growth. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Lawyers both have different educational paths, licensing requirements, and long-term growth projections. Use salary as a starting point, not the only factor.
Based on a standard 2,080-hour work year, Software Engineers earn approximately $64 per hour nationally and Lawyers earn approximately $70 per hour. Actual hourly rates vary based on overtime, part-time work, and whether the role is salaried or hourly.
Methodology: Salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024-2025. Figures represent median annual wages for wage and salary workers. Self-employed excluded. Hourly rates calculated at 2,080 hours per year. State salary figures from same BLS OES dataset. Updated annually.
