Texas Law graduates enjoy unmatched professional outcomes, whether heading into private practice, public service and public interest roles, or judicial clerkships. Total employment numbers are world-class—98.5% for the Class of 2024, which is the most recent class to report—and salary numbers are strong, too, with a $176,150 median starting salary for the entire class, and a $225,000 median for those starting their career in a law firm.
Now, the national media is catching on to another important part of how to assess professional outcomes for new lawyers, recognizing that those strong compensation numbers look even stronger when you consider where new lawyers launch their careers.
The National Jurist just published a deep dive into data that factors in cost of living to produce an “adjusted salary” number that tells a richer picture of how where you work affects your bottom line, and their results are clear: Texas is tops in the nation for adjusted salary numbers.
Using compensation numbers reported by the National Association for Law Placement, the mean salary for law firm jobs in Houston in 2023, the most recent year to report, was $176,610. But, accounting for that city’s cost of living index, which factors in expenses including “housing, groceries, transportation and health care,” National Jurist is now reporting that the adjusted salary is valued at $291,436, putting that city on top of the publication’s ranking of top destinations where a legal salary goes father. Austin is in second place, with an adjusted salary of $265,151, while Dallas rounds out to top three with an adjusted salary of $260,436.
“Texas Law graduates can go anywhere—and do” says Angélica Salinas Evans ’95, the school’s assistant dean for career services. “But nearly two-thirds choose to start their career in Texas. These strong numbers showcase one reason why that’s so appealing.”
Washington, D.C., another favored destination for Texas Law lawyers, is fourth on National Jurist’s list, with an adjusted salary of $259,341, which represents a value of more than $55,000 over that city’s reported mean salary of $204,101.
Read National Jurist’s full story, below.