What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Alaska?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 103.3 for Alaska), the real-wage equivalent is $128,474 — what the $132,710 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $98,986 to $155,813.

Where does Alaska rank for Lawyer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Alaska ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

What are the limits of these Lawyer salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Alaska?

No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In Alaska BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.

BigLaw associate vs in-house vs government vs solo practice in Alaska?

BLS aggregates all lawyers (23-1011) regardless of practice setting. In Alaska, BigLaw and major-market AmLaw 100/200 associates earn at or above BLS P90 on the published Cravath-adjacent pay scale plus year-end bonuses. In-house counsel at established companies sits mid-band with stronger work-life economics. Government attorneys (state AG, public defender, DOJ, federal agencies in Alaska) typically earn at or below BLS median, with PSLF loan-forgiveness eligibility partly compensating. Solo and small-firm practitioners are highly bimodal — successful niche practices in Alaska can exceed BigLaw associate pay; struggling solos earn below the median.

Is the Alaska bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?

Yes — Alaska's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. Alaska markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

Lawyer Salary in Alaska (2026): $133K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

$132,710 is the BLS median wage for Lawyers in Alaska; $128,474 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
P25-P75 spread runs $102,250 to $160,950; P10 floor $83,570, P90 ceiling $195,830.
Mid-band cost of living: real and nominal wage are within a few percent of each other.
Lawyer ranking: #17 on the BLS table, #28 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Alaska

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$83,570	$80,903
P25 (lower quartile)	$102,250	$98,986
P50 (median)	$132,710	$128,474
P75 (upper quartile)	$160,950	$155,813
P90 (top tier)	$195,830	$189,580
Mean	$140,520	$136,035
Employment	1,040 Lawyers in Alaska

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Alaska index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	103.3
Goods	103.7
Services	113.3
Rents	96.7

Alaska's overall RPP (103.3) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Alaska (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer)	$132,710	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$20,668	15.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$10,152	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$101,889	76.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$98,637	÷ (103.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Alaska state-tax burden means for Lawyer take-home

Alaska levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $6,636 a year for a Lawyer at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After cost of living, real take-home is $98,637 — lower than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP exceeds 100.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $151,160 for Lawyers with mean pay of $182,760 and total employment of 747,750. Alaska sits at #17 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Alaska falls 11 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Alaska?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 103.3 for Alaska), the real-wage equivalent is $128,474 — what the $132,710 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $98,986 to $155,813.
Where does Alaska rank for Lawyer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Alaska ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
What are the limits of these Lawyer salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Alaska?: No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In Alaska BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.
BigLaw associate vs in-house vs government vs solo practice in Alaska?: BLS aggregates all lawyers (23-1011) regardless of practice setting. In Alaska, BigLaw and major-market AmLaw 100/200 associates earn at or above BLS P90 on the published Cravath-adjacent pay scale plus year-end bonuses. In-house counsel at established companies sits mid-band with stronger work-life economics. Government attorneys (state AG, public defender, DOJ, federal agencies in Alaska) typically earn at or below BLS median, with PSLF loan-forgiveness eligibility partly compensating. Solo and small-firm practitioners are highly bimodal — successful niche practices in Alaska can exceed BigLaw associate pay; struggling solos earn below the median.
Is the Alaska bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?: Yes — Alaska's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. Alaska markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 23-1011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Alaska Lawyer pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.