How much does a Lawyer make in Mississippi?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $92,610 for Lawyers in Mississippi as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $60,990 and the 75th-percentile is $138,170.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $199,760. 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 $138,170.

Why is the BEA RPP for Mississippi 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. Mississippi's overall index of 86.8 reflects rents 54.9, services 83.5, and goods 94.4.

Where does Mississippi rank for Lawyer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Mississippi 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.

How wide is the wage spread in Mississippi?

P10 to P90 spans $44,540 to $199,760. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Mississippi a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $92,610 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,703. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Lawyers comparing offers across regions.

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

Yes — Mississippi'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. Mississippi 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 Pay in Mississippi: $93K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Mississippi pays Lawyers a BLS median of $92,610 — the more useful number is $106,703, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $14,093 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
Quartile range $60,990 (bottom 25%) to $138,170 (top 25%); the P10-P90 envelope is $44,540 to $199,760.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #46 of 51; nominal rank is #49.

Wage breakdown — Mississippi

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$44,540	$51,318
P25 (lower quartile)	$60,990	$70,271
P50 (median)	$92,610	$106,703
P75 (upper quartile)	$138,170	$159,197
P90 (top tier)	$199,760	$230,159
Mean	$112,690	$129,839
Employment	3,200 Lawyers in Mississippi

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Mississippi index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	86.8
Goods	94.4
Services	83.5
Rents	54.9

Mississippi sits below the national baseline (RPP 86.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 54.9.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer)	$92,610	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$11,621	12.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,212	4.0% above $10K (2026, HB 1733)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,085	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$70,692	76.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$81,450	÷ (86.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $70,692 (76.3% of gross). After the 86.8 RPP, real take-home is $81,450.

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. Mississippi sits at #49 on nominal pay and #46 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Mississippi climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Lawyer make in Mississippi?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $92,610 for Lawyers in Mississippi as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $60,990 and the 75th-percentile is $138,170.
What does the top of the Lawyer pay scale look like in Mississippi?: The 90th percentile lands at $199,760. 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 $138,170.
Why is the BEA RPP for Mississippi 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. Mississippi's overall index of 86.8 reflects rents 54.9, services 83.5, and goods 94.4.
Where does Mississippi rank for Lawyer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Mississippi 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.
How wide is the wage spread in Mississippi?: P10 to P90 spans $44,540 to $199,760. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Mississippi a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 86.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $92,610 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $106,703. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Lawyers comparing offers across regions.
Is the Mississippi bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?: Yes — Mississippi'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. Mississippi 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 Mississippi 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.