Lawyer · Nebraska · SOC 23-1011
2026 Lawyer Pay in Nebraska: BLS Median + Real Take-Home
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-07.
TL;DR
- BLS reports Nebraska Lawyer median pay at $104,970. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $116,261.
- Nominal: #37/51 · Real: #37/51 — ranking shifts by 0 positions after RPP.
- Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $11,291.
- BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $60,580 · P25 $78,110 · P75 $157,780 · P90 $208,100.
Wage breakdown — Nebraska
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $60,580 | $67,096 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $78,110 | $86,512 |
| P50 (median) | $104,970 | $116,261 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $157,780 | $174,752 |
| P90 (top tier) | $208,100 | $230,485 |
| Mean | $127,010 | $140,672 |
| Employment | 3,470 Lawyers in Nebraska | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Nebraska index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 90.3 |
| Goods | 96.5 |
| Services | 79.4 |
| Rents | 74.3 |
Nebraska sits below the national baseline (RPP 90.3), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 74.3.
After-tax take-home — Nebraska (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer) | $104,970 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$14,340 | 13.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$5,001 | 2.46–5.84% (graduated, 3.99% top by 2027) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$8,030 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $77,598 | 73.9% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $85,945 | ÷ (90.3 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Nebraska state-tax burden means for Lawyer take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $77,598 (73.9% of gross). After the 90.3 RPP, real take-home is $85,945.
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. Nebraska sits at #37 on nominal pay and #37 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. Nominal and real ranking are the same — cost of living and pay scale together.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Nebraska?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 90.3 for Nebraska), the real-wage equivalent is $116,261 — what the $104,970 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $86,512 to $174,752.
- How are Nebraska 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.
- How many Lawyers does Nebraska employ?
- BLS OES counts 3,470 Lawyers employed in Nebraska in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
- Is Nebraska a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?
- Yes — the BEA RPP of 90.3 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $104,970 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $116,261. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Lawyers comparing offers across regions.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Nebraska?
- 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 Nebraska.
- 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.
- BigLaw associate vs in-house vs government vs solo practice in Nebraska?
- BLS aggregates all lawyers (23-1011) regardless of practice setting. In Nebraska, 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 Nebraska) 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.