Judicial Law Clerks Salary
The median pay for a judicial law clerks in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN is $51,170/year ($24.6/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $81K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.7), that's roughly $53,469 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,473/month, about 43% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $51K get you in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood’s Regional Price Parity (95.7). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About judicial law clerks
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What this looks like in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood
Pay for judicial law clerks in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood runs about 21% below the U.S. median of $65K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,473/month, which is 42.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.7) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for judicial law clerkss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for judicial law clerks in metros near Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $67K | $64K |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $62K | $62K |
| Cleveland | $45K | $48K |
| Cincinnati | $62K | $65K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
Entry-level judicial law clerks (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $51K. Top earners bring in $81K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Judicial Law Clerks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Judicial Law Clerks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $143K | +121% | 500 |
| New York | $133K | +105% | 850 |
| Connecticut | $99K | +52% | 270 |
| Oregon | $87K | +34% | 30 |
| North Dakota | $86K | +32% | 40 |
| Washington | $80K | +24% | 580 |
| Arkansas | $80K | +23% | 50 |
| California | $79K | +22% | 1,800 |
| Idaho | $76K | +16% | 60 |
| Tennessee | $75K | +16% | 400 |
| Minnesota | $71K | +9% | 410 |
| Maryland | $70K | +8% | 370 |
| Nevada | $70K | +7% | 70 |
| Maine | $68K | +5% | 30 |
| Alaska | $68K | +4% | 140 |
| Colorado | $67K | +4% | 140 |
| Missouri | $66K | +2% | 100 |
| Virginia | $66K | +2% | 380 |
| Delaware | $65K | -0% | 100 |
| Iowa | $64K | -1% | 90 |
| Louisiana | $63K | -3% | 90 |
| Texas | $63K | -3% | 220 |
| Michigan | $62K | -4% | 280 |
| Arizona | $60K | -7% | 250 |
| New Jersey | $59K | -9% | 530 |
| Indiana | $57K | -12% | 70 |
| Florida | $55K | -15% | 1,300 |
| Georgia | $55K | -15% | 560 |
| Wisconsin | $54K | -16% | 180 |
| West Virginia | $52K | -20% | 260 |
| Utah | $52K | -20% | 630 |
| Pennsylvania | $51K | -22% | 970 |
| South Carolina | $50K | -22% | 230 |
| Ohio | $50K | -23% | 240 |
| Nebraska | $50K | -24% | 110 |
| Montana | $47K | -27% | 40 |
| Hawaii | $47K | -28% | 330 |
| Kansas | $46K | -30% | 40 |
| Oklahoma | $45K | -31% | 130 |
Showing 1–10 of 39 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track judicial law clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a judicial law clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $51K, rent takes 42.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,473/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for judicial law clerks in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new judicial law clerks typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,404/month. At HUD’s $1,473/month FMR, rent would take 61% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is judicial law clerk a high-paying job in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Local pay runs 21% below the national median — $51K here vs. $65K nationally.
How does Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood compare to the national average for judicial law clerks?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood pays $51K median vs. the U.S. average of $65K — that’s -21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — below the national median.
How much do judicial law clerks make in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN?
The median is $51,170 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,060, and experienced judicial law clerks can clear $81,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $51K enough to live in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,466/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,473/month, which eats 42.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a judicial law clerks salary go in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood?
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood has a Regional Price Parity of 95.7 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median judicial law clerks salary is worth about $53,469 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do judicial law clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.