Lawyer · Vermont · SOC 23-1011
2026 Lawyer Pay in Vermont: 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
- Median Lawyer salary in Vermont: $101,090 nominal, $104,064 real (BEA RPP basis).
- BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
- BLS percentiles available for this state: P25 $94,960, P50 $101,090, P75 $160,770. P10 or P90 is suppressed by BLS for this occupation-state cell.
- State ranks #43 nationally on nominal wage, #48 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
Wage breakdown — Vermont
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $76,250 | $78,493 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $94,960 | $97,754 |
| P50 (median) | $101,090 | $104,064 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $160,770 | $165,500 |
| P90 (top tier) | ||
| Mean | $161,990 | $166,756 |
| Employment | 1,150 Lawyers in Vermont | |
Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity
| Component | Vermont index (US = 100) |
|---|---|
| All-items RPP | 97.1 |
| Goods | 97.9 |
| Services | 122.1 |
| Rents | 82.3 |
Vermont's overall RPP (97.1) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.
After-tax take-home — Vermont (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)
Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median
| Layer | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer) | $101,090 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$13,487 | 13.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied |
| State income tax | −$4,627 | 3.35–8.75% (graduated) |
| FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%) | −$7,733 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $75,243 | 74.4% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $77,457 | ÷ (97.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Vermont state-tax burden means for Lawyer take-home
Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.6% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,243 (74.4% of gross). After the 97.1 RPP, real take-home is $77,457.
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. Vermont sits at #43 on nominal pay and #48 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Vermont falls 5 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Vermont?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 97.1 for Vermont), the real-wage equivalent is $104,064 — what the $101,090 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $97,754 to $165,500.
- Why is the BEA RPP for Vermont 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. Vermont's overall index of 97.1 reflects rents 82.3, services 122.1, and goods 97.9.
- Is Vermont a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?
- No — Vermont's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
- Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Vermont?
- 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 Vermont.
- 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 Vermont?
- 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 Vermont 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 Vermont?
- BLS aggregates all lawyers (23-1011) regardless of practice setting. In Vermont, 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 Vermont) 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 Vermont 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 Vermont 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.