Public Defender Salary & Pay Data
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Proxy: broader BLS occupation: SOC 23-1011 Lawyers
Public Defender wage (BLS)
Not published
Proxy: median, all lawyers
$159,670
BLS has no public defender series.
The government sector medians below are context for public-sector lawyer pay, not a public defender figure.
Annual figures are BLS hourly wages × 2,080 hours.
OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers only, so it leaves out the self-employed, overtime pay and most bonuses.
ProxyFull percentile table and pay in every state: Lawyer salary →
What the proxy shows
10th–90th percentile, all lawyers
$78,360–about $351,600
Jobs in the occupation
754,500
These are the BLS figures for every worker in SOC 23-1011 Lawyers.
BLS publishes no separate series or percentiles for public defenders, so this page does not show a percentile table for the role.
By employer
Pay by employer type
| Employer sector (BLS) | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Federal Executive Branch | $178,380 |
| State Government excl. schools/hospitals | $115,330 |
| Local Government excl. schools/hospitals | $131,350 |
Median annual wage for SOC 23-1011 Lawyers by industry, BLS OEWS May 2025.
These cover every lawyer working for that level of government, not public defenders or prosecutors alone.
Pay guides