Lawyers Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $121K, rent takes 19.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,528/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new lawyers typically earn — is $66K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,549/month. At HUD’s $1,528/month FMR, rent would take 34% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 24% below the national median — $121K here vs. $160K nationally.

New Hampshire pays $121K median vs. the U.S. average of $160K — that’s -24%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 105.66), the purchasing-power equivalent is $114K — below the national median.

The median is $120,810 a year, that works out to about $58 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $65,670, and experienced lawyers can clear $358,300. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,777/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,528/month, which eats 19.6% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

New Hampshire has a Regional Price Parity of 105.66 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median lawyers salary is worth about $114,338 in national-average purchasing power.

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.