What the data says about lawyer pay in Phoenix
Monthly take-home on that median is roughly US$9,500; local prices sit at COL 100, so its buying power is about US$135,700.
Phoenix vs the national and AZ picture
San Jose leads at US$301,320, 122% above Phoenix, while Jacksonville sits at US$127,920. The neighbours in the ranking are San Antonio and Raleigh.
No other AZ metro has observed lawyer percentiles here, so Phoenix is judged against the 21-metro national list instead.
Is US$135,670 a good salary in Phoenix?
With a COL index of 100, there is little difference between headline pay and price-adjusted pay (US$135,700).
Its place holds after a cost-of-living adjustment — 19th of 21 either way.
Take-home on the median comes to roughly US$9,500 monthly (16% effective tax in our simplified model). Rent for a modeled 1-bedroom is 17% of it, and the single-adult budget ends about US$6,030 in the black.
If you compared Phoenix with similarly priced cities
In New York — similar cost level, COL 100 — the median is US$208,880 (+54% vs Phoenix), and the modeled budget leaves US$4,640 more each month.
In Los Angeles — similar cost level, COL 100 — the median is US$194,410 (+43% vs Phoenix), and the modeled budget leaves US$3,720 more each month.
A lawyer moving from Phoenix to Chicago (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 22% to US$165,660, with US$1,900 more left over monthly in our model.
Where Lawyer ranks among Phoenix jobs
Among the 9 occupations with observed Phoenix data on this site, Lawyer pays the most. Next is Software Engineer at US$131,750.
Where Phoenix stands for junior and senior lawyers
Starting pay holds up better than senior pay here. The 10th percentile places 9th nationally among observed metros; the 90th places 19th.
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$421,000 at the 90th percentile, +44% against Phoenix.
Spread between low and high lawyer pay in Phoenix
The 90th percentile (US$291,750) is 3.3× the 10th (US$87,170), a wide band that usually reflects different seniority levels and employer types under one title.