Source: American Bar Association
Latest Data: 2023
Frequency: Annual
Contact: ABA Market Research Department, (202) 662-1000, ABALegalStatistics@americanbar.org

"Lawyers Per 10,000 Residents" is the average number of lawyers for every ten thousand residents in every state. The data given is calculated by using numbers from the American Bar Association (ABA) and the U.S. Census Bureau. The total number of lawyers by state is divided by the corresponding population estimate for the previous year and then multiplied by 10,000. Prior to the official July 1 Census estimate, an unofficial population estimate based on the state's five-year growth rate is used. 

The ABA includes the following notes:  

Individual state bar associations or licensing agencies are asked to provide the number of resident and active attorneys as of December 31st of the prior year, e.g. 2019 data is as of 12/31/2018. The numbers reflected here are the best available data provided to us from the respective associations or agencies. Notes: Virgin Islands was not able to provide residency in 2018 due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In 2019, Maryland, Nevada, and New York provided corrected 2018 lawyer counts; this report reflects the corrected 2018 total attorney count. In 2019, four agencies had changes in the availability of residency data. Arkansas adopted a new software system and cleaned up data; the decrease in 2019 is a more accurate representation of Resident Active Lawyers. Louisiana changed how it reports residency status, causing an increase in the reported lawyer count. Minnesota and Vermont no longer track resident/non-resident status; the counts now reflects all active lawyers. New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Virgin Islands did not provide current data for 2019, so prior year's stats were used.

Links: American Bar Association Numbers, US Census population estimates (2002-2019), US Census population estimate 2020 US Census Population Estimates 2019 ID: PEPAGESEX (https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml)

Data Source: ABA National Lawyer Population Survey Lawyer Population by State Year 2021. Copyright © 2020 American Bar Association.