How much does a Lawyer make in Hawaii?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $116,010 for Lawyers in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $89,990 and the 75th-percentile is $145,250.

How are Hawaii Lawyer salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

What does the top of the Lawyer pay scale look like in Hawaii?

The 90th percentile lands at $173,040. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $145,250.

Why is the BEA RPP for Hawaii different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Hawaii's overall index of 109.7 reflects rents 128.7, services 191.7, and goods 110.3.

Where does Hawaii rank for Lawyer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii 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.

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

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 Hawaii 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.

Hawaii Lawyer Salary: BLS $116K Median, Real $106K (2026)

TL;DR

Hawaii pays Lawyers a BLS median of $116,010 — the more useful number is $105,749, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #47 of 51; nominal rank is #32.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Wage envelope: $76,180 (P10) to $173,040 (P90), with quartiles at $89,990 and $145,250.

Wage breakdown — Hawaii

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$76,180	$69,442
P25 (lower quartile)	$89,990	$82,031
P50 (median)	$116,010	$105,749
P75 (upper quartile)	$145,250	$132,403
P90 (top tier)	$173,040	$157,735
Mean	$121,900	$111,118
Employment	2,430 Lawyers in Hawaii

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Hawaii index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	109.7
Goods	110.3
Services	191.7
Rents	128.7

Hawaii is a high-cost state — RPP 109.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (128.7) and services (191.7).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer)	$116,010	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$16,769	14.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$8,643	1.4–11% (12 brackets)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,875	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$81,723	70.4% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$74,495	÷ (109.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Hawaii carries one of the heavier state-tax loads in the country at this income tier (7.5% effective on the BLS median). Combined with federal and FICA, gross-to-take-home spread is 29.6%, leaving $81,723 pre-RPP and $74,495 after the 109.7 cost-of-living index — a $41,515 gap from the headline gross.

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. Hawaii sits at #32 on nominal pay and #47 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Hawaii falls 15 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Lawyer make in Hawaii?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $116,010 for Lawyers in Hawaii as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $89,990 and the 75th-percentile is $145,250.
How are Hawaii Lawyer salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Lawyer pay scale look like in Hawaii?: The 90th percentile lands at $173,040. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $145,250.
Why is the BEA RPP for Hawaii different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Hawaii's overall index of 109.7 reflects rents 128.7, services 191.7, and goods 110.3.
Where does Hawaii rank for Lawyer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Hawaii 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.
Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Hawaii?: 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 Hawaii 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.

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 Hawaii 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.