Lawyer pay in New York, by the numbers
Monthly take-home on that median is roughly US$14,200; local prices sit at COL 100, so its buying power is about US$208,900.
New York vs the national and NY picture
On a United States league table of 21 metros, New York comes 3rd. One place higher is San Francisco at US$212,500, one lower is Washington at US$195,190, and San Jose tops the list.
New York is the only observed NY metro for this role, so there is no in-state average to compare; the national and metro ranking above is the better reference.
Cost of living and take-home in New York
Living costs are close to the baseline (COL index 100), so the median's buying power, about US$208,900, is near its face value.
Adjusting for prices does not move New York in the ranking: it is 3rd of 21 on both cash and buying power.
Take-home on the median comes to roughly US$14,200 monthly (19% effective tax in our simplified model). Rent for a modeled 1-bedroom is 12% of it, and the single-adult budget ends about US$10,670 in the black.
If you compared New York with similarly priced cities
Los Angeles (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$194,410, 7% less than New York; modeled monthly leftover is US$920 lower.
Chicago (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$165,660, 21% less than New York; modeled monthly leftover is US$2,740 lower.
Houston (similar cost level, COL 100) pays US$157,980, 24% less than New York; modeled monthly leftover is US$3,230 lower.
Other New York jobs compared with lawyer
Among the 9 occupations with observed New York data on this site, Lawyer pays the most. Next is Software Engineer at US$166,830.
How New York ranks at the low and high end
The New York market rewards seniority more than entry: the 90th percentile (US$391,620) ranks 2nd of 21, but the 10th (US$94,070) only 6th.
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$421,000 at the 90th percentile, +8% against New York.
The lawyer pay range in New York
Pay is spread out: US$94,070 at the 10th percentile to US$391,620 at the 90th (4.2×). Level and setting matter more than the city average here.