Summary: Based on average salary, housing rates, housing amenities, and number of law jobs, GoodCall ranked the best metropolitan areas to live and work for law school graduates.
Big cities have more job opportunities and higher salaries than smaller cities but there is also more competition. For law school graduates, finding a job in the bigger cities was ideal but with the cost of living and shortage of jobs, many ended up in smaller towns. Now that the legal job market is turning around, law school graduates can return to hunting down jobs in big cities.
GoodCall evaluated cities with a population over 100,000 on average lawyer salaries, housing prices, housing amenities, and law job density and postings. See the top 15 metropolitan areas for law school graduates.
1. New York/Newark/Jersey City – GoodCall gave them a score of 279.10. The average salary for a lawyer is $148,140.
2. Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk – They have an overall score of 278.3 with an average salary of $141,010.
3. Pittsburgh – GoodCall’s score for them was a 277.45 with a salary average of $122,220.
4. Hartford/West Hartford/East Hartford – Their score was 271.65. The average lawyer salary is $120,900.
5. Nashville/Davidson/Murfreesboro/Franklin – The score for this area was 264.95 with the salary at $107,440.
6. Des Moines/West Des Moines – They scored a 206.15 by GoodCall. Their average salary is $109,650/
7. Philadelphia/Camden/Wilmington- GoodCall scored them at 259.25 with an average lawyer salary at $126,100.
8. St Cloud- Their GoodCall score was a 258.35 with a lawyer salary at $107,070.
9. Houston/The Woodlands/Sugar Land- Their score was 256.4. The average lawyer salary is $150,720.
10. San Francisco/Oakland/Hayward -GoodCall scored them at 255.90 with an average salary of $150,290.
11. Richmond, VA- Scored a 255.65 with an average salary of $114,080.
12. Harrisburg/Carlisle, PA- GoodCall scored them 254.55. Their average salary is $106,750.
13. Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington – They have a score of 254.25 and an average lawyer salary of $116,350.
14. Portland/South Portland, ME- They scored a 254.10 and a salary of $110,400.
15. Dayton, OH – They received a GoodCall score of 253.80. The average lawyer salary is $133,470.
The top result for best salary and most affordable housing is Valdosta, Georgia. The best jobs category was topped by the Nashville metropolitan area, followed by Raleigh, North Carolina.
Source: http://www.goodcall.com/data-center/best-large-metro-areas-law-school-graduates/
Photo: nydailynews.com