What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Wisconsin?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $128,696 — what the $119,970 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $88,565 to $190,013.

How many Lawyers does Wisconsin employ?

BLS OES counts 8,820 Lawyers employed in Wisconsin in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Wisconsin rank for Lawyer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

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 Wisconsin.

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 Wisconsin?

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?

BLS aggregates all lawyers (23-1011) regardless of practice setting. In Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin) 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 Wisconsin can exceed BigLaw associate pay; struggling solos earn below the median.

How Much Do Lawyers Make in Wisconsin? $120K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Wisconsin pays Lawyers a BLS median of $119,970 — the more useful number is $128,696, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Quartile range $82,560 (bottom 25%) to $177,130 (top 25%). BLS suppresses the P10 or P90 tail for this state, typically because the top tier exceeds the OES wage cap.
Low BEA RPP (93.2) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $8,726.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #27 of 51; nominal rank is #31.

Wage breakdown — Wisconsin

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$63,300	$67,904
P25 (lower quartile)	$82,560	$88,565
P50 (median)	$119,970	$128,696
P75 (upper quartile)	$177,130	$190,013
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$155,270	$166,563
Employment	8,820 Lawyers in Wisconsin

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Wisconsin index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	93.2
Goods	94.3
Services	89.5
Rents	78.3

Wisconsin sits below the national baseline (RPP 93.2), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 78.3.

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Lawyer)	$119,970	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$17,640	14.7% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,271	3.5–7.65% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$9,178	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$87,881	73.3% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$94,273	÷ (93.2 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 4.4% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $87,881 (73.3% of gross). After the 93.2 RPP, real take-home is $94,273.

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. Wisconsin sits at #31 on nominal pay and #27 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Wisconsin climbs 4 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Wisconsin?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 93.2 for Wisconsin), the real-wage equivalent is $128,696 — what the $119,970 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $88,565 to $190,013.
How many Lawyers does Wisconsin employ?: BLS OES counts 8,820 Lawyers employed in Wisconsin in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Wisconsin rank for Lawyer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?: 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 Wisconsin.
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 Wisconsin?: 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?: BLS aggregates all lawyers (23-1011) regardless of practice setting. In Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin) 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 Wisconsin 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.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Wisconsin 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.