How much does a Criminal Defense Lawyer make in New York, NY?

As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a Criminal Defense Lawyer in New York, NY is $122,091. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $104,636 to $141,761, with most professionals earning between $88,745 and $159,669.

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Salary range for an Criminal Defense Lawyer
$104,636 to $141,761
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What is a Criminal Defense Lawyer?

A Criminal Defense Lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various jurisdictions with criminal courts for appointment to represent indigent persons; the latter are generally called public defenders. The terminology is imprecise because each jurisdiction may have different practices with various levels of input from state and federal law or consent decrees. Some jurisdictions use a rotating system of appointments, with ju...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 09/06/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

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RELEVANT JOB EXPERIENCE

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Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
104636
141761
122091

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
108048
150921
127685
What is the average salary for Criminal Defense Lawyer in 2025?
These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Criminal Defense Lawyer in New York, NY. The base salary for Criminal Defense Lawyer ranges from $104,636 to $141,761 with the average base salary of $122,091. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $108,048 to $150,921 with the average total cash compensation of $127,685.
Average Salary Average Salary Range
Base Salary $122,091 $104,636 - $141,761
Bonus $5,594 $3,412 - $9,161
Total Pay $127,685 $108,048 - $150,921
* Base Salary represents gross income before taxes and deductions. It does not include additional pay such as benefits, bonuses, profit sharing or commissions.
* Total Pay combines base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job.
CITY, STATE AVERAGE SALARY RANGE COMPARE TO New York, NY
CITY, STATE West New York, NJ AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,636 - $141,761 COMPARE TO New York, NY 0%
CITY, STATE Hoboken, NJ AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,636 - $141,761 COMPARE TO New York, NY 0%
CITY, STATE Union City, NJ AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,636 - $141,761 COMPARE TO New York, NY 0%
CITY, STATE Jersey City, NJ AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,636 - $141,761 COMPARE TO New York, NY 0%
CITY, STATE Bronx, NY AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,636 - $141,761 COMPARE TO New York, NY 0%
CITY, STATE Brooklyn, NY AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,636 - $141,761 COMPARE TO New York, NY 0%
See salaries for Criminal Defense Lawyer in locations close to New York, NY. Pay for the same job may vary based on the location and on the location and on other factors such as the size of company, the industry, and other local conditions.
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JOB TITLE LOCATION MINIMUM SALARY MAXIMUM SALARY
JOB TITLE Criminal Lawyer LOCATION New York, NY MINIMUM SALARY $104,636 MAXIMUM SALARY $141,761
JOB TITLE Criminal Defense Investigator LOCATION New York, NY MINIMUM SALARY $65,466 MAXIMUM SALARY $85,067
JOB TITLE Criminal Defense Attorney LOCATION New York, NY MINIMUM SALARY $97,813 MAXIMUM SALARY $134,818
JOB TITLE Criminal Defense Paralegal LOCATION New York, NY MINIMUM SALARY $96,642 MAXIMUM SALARY $119,030
JOB TITLE Criminal Investigator LOCATION New York, NY MINIMUM SALARY $75,869 MAXIMUM SALARY $98,584
JOB TITLE Defense Attorney LOCATION New York, NY MINIMUM SALARY $104,636 MAXIMUM SALARY $141,761
The Criminal Defense Lawyer job could be listed using titles that are not exactly the same, but actually are for the same or very similar job. Here are some job titles in New York, NY that might be a good fit for the type of job and salary you are looking for.

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104636
141761

 

About New York, New York    The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estim....More

New York, New York  area prices were up 1.6% from a year ago

Criminal Defense Lawyer Salary in popular cities: BuffaloRochesterYonkers

Jobs with a similar salary range to Criminal Defense Lawyer : Criminal Defense Attorney, Closing Attorney, Junior Legal Counsel