Lawyer · Kansas · SOC 23-1011
Lawyer Salary in Kansas (2026)
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-07.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Kansas Lawyer median pay at $112,000. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $124,572.
- Lawyer ranking: #35 on the BLS table, #31 once cost of living is in.
- Low BEA RPP (89.9) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $12,572.
- BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $64,980 · P25 $80,890 · P75 $162,880 · P90 $224,240.
Wage breakdown — Kansas
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $64,980 | $72,274 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $80,890 | $89,970 |
| P50 (median) | $112,000 | $124,572 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $162,880 | $181,163 |
| P90 (top tier) | $224,240 | $249,411 |
| Mean | $129,530 | $144,069 |
| Employment | 4,270 Lawyers in Kansas | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Kansas index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 89.9 |
| Goods | 96.5 |
| Services | 90.8 |
| Rents | 68.6 |
Kansas sits below the national baseline (RPP 89.9), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 68.6.
After-tax take-home — Kansas (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer) | $112,000 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$15,887 | 14.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$5,727 | 3.1–5.7% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$8,568 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $81,818 | 73.1% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $91,002 | ÷ (89.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Kansas state-tax burden means for Lawyer take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.1% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $81,818 (73.1% of gross). After the 89.9 RPP, real take-home is $91,002.
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. Kansas sits at #35 on nominal pay and #31 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Kansas climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Lawyer make in Kansas?
- BLS reports a median annual wage of $112,000 for Lawyers in Kansas as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $80,890 and the 75th-percentile is $162,880.
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Kansas?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 89.9 for Kansas), the real-wage equivalent is $124,572 — what the $112,000 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $89,970 to $181,163.
- How are Kansas 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.
- Where does Kansas rank for Lawyer pay?
- On nominal BLS wages alone, Kansas 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.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Kansas?
- The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Kansas.
- Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Kansas?
- 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 Kansas 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 Kansas?
- BLS aggregates all lawyers (23-1011) regardless of practice setting. In Kansas, 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 Kansas) 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 Kansas can exceed BigLaw associate pay; struggling solos earn below the median.
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.
Cross-comparison: see how Kansas 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.