Employment Statistics

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School experience enables our graduates to pursue successful and fulfilling careers. The data below attests to our continued success in the market.

Penn Carey Law Class of 2024 employment data by industry and location

This information is based on student survey responses, ABA and NALP data, and reflects employment as of the March 15 following graduation for the classes listed below. Please note that the judicial clerkship chart reflects a different time period and includes alumni.

General Employment Information	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Graduating Class Size	304	248	262	257	258
Employment Status Known	303	248	261	257	258
Employed	303	245	257	255	257
Start Date Deferred	0	0	1	0	0
Seeking Employment	0	1	1	0	0
Not Seeking Employment	0	0	0	1	1
Enrolled in Full-Time Degree	0	2	2	1	0
Unknown	1	0	1	0	0

The Law School’s cross-disciplinary JD program prepares students for a range of careers in the law and related fields, complemented by professional development programs that build skills necessary to pursue the best jobs and careers. At the Law School, students are exposed to the widest variety of legal employers, nationally and internationally, as well as to Penn alumni worldwide who have used their law degrees to push the boundaries in their fields.

Job Type	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Law Firm	219	179	187	185	189
2-10	1	1	0	0	2
11-25	2	1	0	1	4
26-50	2	1	1	1	2
51-100	2	4	4	5	4
101-250	3	0	8	4	8
251-500	4	12	15	9	20
501+	195	160	157	165	149
Unknown size	0	0	0	0	0
Solo Practice	0	0	0	0	0
Judicial Clerk	30	27	32	29	26
Business or Industry	7	10	11	10	15
Government/Military	14	5	9	8	6
Public Interest	32	23	17	20	20
Academic	1	1	1	3	1
Law School Funded (Short-Term)	0	0	0	0	0
Law School Funded (Long-Term)	17	12	10	15	11
Other Short Term	0	0	0	0	0

Salary Information

Salary	2024
Value	25th Percentile	Median	75th Percentile	Mean	Salaries Reported
Salary - All Job Types	93,079	225,000	225,000	182,636	298/304
Law Firm	225,000	225,000	225,000	221,959	217/219
2-10	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
11-25	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
26-50	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
51-100	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
101-250	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
251-500
501+
Unknown size	-	-	-	-	-
Solo Practice	-	-	-	-	-
Judicial Clerk	70,000	78,000	80,000	74,360	29/30
Business or Industry	65,000	185,000	192,000	177,400	5/7
Government/ Military	66,250	74,700	88,970	77,678	14/14
Public Interest	58,750	63,500	72,000	65,227	32/32
Academic	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported

Salary	2023
Value	25th Percentile	Median	75th Percentile	Mean	Salaries Reported
Salary - All Job Types	175,000	225,000	225,000	185,684	244/245
Law Firm	225,000	225,000	225,000	220,421	178/179
2-10	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
11-25	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
26-50	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
51-100	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
101-250	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
251-500	215,000	215,000	218,750	215,500	10/10
501+	215,000	215,000	215,000	213,178	166/166
Unknown size	-	-	-	-	-
Solo Practice	-	-	-	-	-
Judicial Clerk	68,053	74,950	75,417	71,496	27/27
Business or Industry	176,250	196,000	215,000	227,700	10/10
Government/ Military	70,000	75,000	78,500	72,100	5/5
Public Interest	55,500	63,000	68,000	63,547	23/23
Academic	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported

Salary	2022
Value	25th Percentile	Median	75th Percentile	Mean	Salaries Reported
Salary - All Job Types	175,000	215,000	215,000	179,741	247/257
Law Firm	215,000	215,000	215,000	210,816	187/187
2-10	-	-	-	-	-
11-25	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
26-50	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
51-100	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
101-250	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
251-500	215,000	215,000	218,750	215,500	10/10
501+	215,000	215,000	215,000	213,178	166/166
Unknown size	-	-	-	-	-
Solo Practice	-	-	-	-	-
Judicial Clerk	65,750	70,500	73,750	70,978	26/32
Business or Industry	145,000	175,000	175,000	158,500	10/11
Government/ Military	70,000	74,950	89,730	78,121	9/9
Public Interest	50,000	55,000	61,375	57,506	14/17
Academic	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported

Salary	2021
Value	25th Percentile	Median	75th Percentile	Mean	Salaries Reported
Salary - All Job Types	140,000	215,000	215,000	171,352	251/255
Law Firm	215,000	215,000	215,000	205,514	185/185
2-10	-	-	-	-	-
11-25	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
26-50	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
51-100	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
101-250	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
251-500	185,000	195,000	215,000	195,556	9/9
501+	215,000	215,000	215,000	208,273	165/165
Unknown size	-	-	-	-	-
Solo Practice	-	-	-	-	-
Judicial Clerk	58,000	68,864	72,000	69,290	29/29
Business or Industry	125,000	150,000	164,000	143,322	9/10
Government/ Military	58,875	66,500	70,650	64,213	8/8
Public Interest	50,000	52,500	59,000	54,243	18/20
Academic	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported

Note: Starting salaries for first-year associates who commenced employment in the fall of 2021 were adjusted upward in early 2022 for many of the largest firms and in the largest legal markets. This report reflects that adjustment for all firms that made this change before March 15, 2022.

Salary	2020
Value	25th Percentile	Median	75th Percentile	Mean	Salaries Reported
Salary - All Job Types	165,000	190,000	190,000	161,596	224/257
Law Firm	190,000	190,000	190,000	187,322	171/189
2-10	-	-	-	-	-
11-25	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
26-50	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
51-100	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
101-250	131,250	182,500	190,000	166,667	6/8
251-500	190,000	190,000	190,000	190,294	17/20
501+	190,000	190,000	190,000	188,615	143/149
Unknown size	-	-	-	-	-
Solo Practice	-	-	-	-	-
Judicial Clerk	61,122	69,579	70,632	66,713	25/26
Business or Industry	150,000	15,000	165,000	175,820	8/15
Government/ Military	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported
Public Interest	50,000	50,000	55,000	52,800	15/20
Academic	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported	<5 reported

Salary	2019
Value	25th Percentile	Median	75th Percentile	Mean	Salaries Reported
Salary - All Job Types	$150,000	$190,000	$190,000	$158,794	237/248 (96%)
Law Firm	$190,000	$190,000	$190,000	$183,992	184/188 (98%)
2-10	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
11-25	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
26-50	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
51-100	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
101-250	$102,500	$147,500	$175,000	$129,038	8/8 (100%)
251-500	$190,000	$190,000	$190,000	$190,882	17/17 (100%)
501+	$190,000	$190,000	$190,000	$188,742	151/151 (100%)
Unknown size	-	-	-	-	-
Solo Practice	-	-	-	-	-
Judicial Clerk	$61,218	$65,580	$68,036	$63,989	29/29 (100%)
Business or Industry	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
Government/ Military	$60,000	$60,000	$67,500	$64,186	7/9 (78%)
Public Interest	$45,000	$53,000	$56,000	$52,270	13/14 (93%)
Academic	-	-	-	-	-

Salary	2018
Value	25th Percentile	Median	75th Percentile	Mean	Salaries Reported
Salary - All Job Types	$160,000	$190,000	$190,000	$157,627	233/241 (97%)
Law Firm	$190,000	$190,000	$190,000	$183,311	181/182 (99%)
2-10	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
11-25	-	-	-	-	-
26-50	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
51-100	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported	< 5 reported
101-250	$160,000	$175,000	$190,000	$173,125	8/8 (100%)
251-500	$190,000	$190,000	$190,000	$185,938	16/17 (94%)
501+	$190,000	$190,000	$190,000	$186,818	152/152 (100%)
Unknown size	-	-	-	-	-
Solo Practice	-	-	-	-	-
Judicial Clerk	$55,925	$65,732	$66,110	$61,439	22/26 (85%)
Business or Industry	$115,000	$137,500	$157,500	$141,875	8/11 (73%)
Government/ Military	$40,250	$51,412	$58,000	$58,215	10/10 (100%)
Public Interest	$40,000	$45,000	$50,000	$45,583	12/12 (100%)
Academic	-	-	-	-	-

Judicial Clerkships

Law School students receive unparalleled support from staff and faculty in their pursuit of judicial clerkships. And today, recent clerkship placements are at the highest levels in our history. For the years 2015-20, our students and alumni secured 386 clerkships at all levels.

Judicial Clerkships	May 1, 2024 - April 30, 2025	May 1, 2023 - April 30, 2024	May 1, 2022 - April 30, 2023	May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2022	May 1, 2020 - April 30, 2021	Five Years: May 1, 2020 - April 20, 2025
US Supreme Court	2	-	-	2	-	4
Circuit	30	31	29	34	26	150
District	48	43	30	48	43	212
Magistrate	3	3	5	4	4	19
Bankruptcy	3	3	-	2	1	9
U.S. Court of International Trade	1	1	-	-	1	3
U.S. Court of Federal Claims	1	-	1	-	1	3
Delaware Chancery	2	-	2	2	2	8
State Supreme	3	5	3	6	3	20
State Intermediate	2	3	2	-	4	11
State Trial	1	3	3	2	3	12
International	1	-	-	1	1	3
Total	97	92	75	102	89	455

Additional Employment and Bar Passage Statistics

Employment Requirements	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Bar Passage Required - Full-time*	296	222	235	240	241	237
Bar Passage Required - Part-time	0	0	0	0	0	0
J.D. Advantage*	3	11	11	14	16	10
Professional	3	0	1	0	0	1
Non-Professional	1	0	0	0	0	0

* Includes graduates in positions funded by the Law School.

Office of Career Strategy

Salary Information

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Judicial Clerkships

Additional Employment and Bar Passage Statistics