Entry-level Lawyer salary in Seattle, WA

Based on 23 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell, Kent, Everett.

Also listed as: Attorney, Associate Lawyer

Median salary$120,000
Middle 50%$100k–$146.4k
vs. all levels here−23%comparison median $155,750
Filings23FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $97,781 and $293,500.
PercentileSalary
10th$97,781
25th$100,000
50th (median)$120,000
75th$146,365
90th$190,800

Salary by year

Median salary

$80k $100k $120k FY2022: median $93,600 (13 filings) FY2023: median $91,800 (12 filings) FY2024: median $112,267 (12 filings) FY2025: median $107,500 (14 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 4 filings FY20 FY2021: 8 filings FY21 FY2022: 13 filings FY22 FY2023: 12 filings FY23 FY2024: 12 filings FY24 FY2025: 14 filings FY25 FY2026: 9 filings FY26 14
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020–––4
FY2021–––8
FY2022$93,600$82,000$95,40013
FY2023$91,800$84,885$137,72512
FY2024$112,267$86,789$134,27512
FY2025$107,500$97,961$139,54714
FY2026–––9

Cost of living

Seattle's median entry-level Lawyer salary of $120,000 is worth about $108,000 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Seattle = 111.1).

Compared with all workers here

All Lawyers in the Seattle, WA area earned a median of $164,980 in May 2025 (9,210 employed). The H-1B median here is $120,000, 27% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Centific Global Solutionstoo few3
Morrow Nitoo few3

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $120,000 23
Mid-level · Level II $161,300 17
Senior · Level III too few 2
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$97,781$120,00023
Mid-level · Level II$143,270$161,30017

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.