What the data says about juris doctor salaries
A Juris Doctor (JD) is a graduate law degree that qualifies you to practise as a lawyer in Australia. But what does that qualification translate to in pay? The short answer: the ABS does not publish a specific figure for "juris doctor salary" as a standalone category. Instead, the best available proxy is the median earnings for judicial and other legal professionals, a broad occupation group that includes solicitors, barristers, judges, and magistrates.
According to the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, the median full-time weekly earnings for this group is $2,803. That is about $145,756 a year (multiply by 52 weeks). This figure is before tax and salary sacrifice, and it applies to full-time non-managerial adult employees.
National full-time average vs legal profession median
The national full-time adult ordinary-time average, from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 a year. That means the typical legal professional earns about $720 more per week than the average full-time worker across all industries.
It is important to keep the two measures distinct. The national average is a mean, pulled up by high earners. The legal median is the middle point: half of full-time legal professionals earn more, half earn less. The national full-time median (all occupations) is lower again, at about $90,532 a year (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025). So even the median legal professional sits well above the typical full-time worker.
Place a salary on the line to see how any figure compares to the national average.
How the award minimums compare
The Legal Services Award 2020 sets minimum pay for employees in law firms, but it mainly covers clerical and administrative roles, not solicitors or barristers. The highest classification shown in the current pay guide (effective 1 July 2026) is Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1, at $28.24 per hour or $1,073.10 per week. That is about $55,801 a year on a 38-hour week.
Award minimums rose by 4.75% from 1 July 2026, in line with the Fair Work Commission's annual wage review. The national minimum wage itself is $26.44 per hour, $1,004.90 per week, or about $52,255 a year.
For a newly admitted lawyer with a JD, actual pay is typically negotiated above the award, often guided by market rates or enterprise agreements. The median of $2,803 per week gives a more realistic benchmark for a qualified legal professional.
State comparisons
Where you work matters. The ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026, shows state full-time averages:
- New South Wales: about $109,658 a year
- Victoria: about $106,137
- Queensland: about $106,064
- South Australia: about $102,450
- Western Australia: about $115,825
- Tasmania: about $96,008
- Northern Territory: about $103,173
- Australian Capital Territory: about $119,090
A legal professional earning the national median of $145,756 would be above every state average, but the gap is widest in Tasmania and narrowest in the ACT. The ACT's higher average reflects a concentration of public-sector and professional roles, including in the federal legal system.
Job medians lets you compare other occupations against the national line.
Tax considerations
For the 2026–27 income year, a JD graduate earning $145,756 would face these tax brackets:
- Nil on the first $18,200
- 15% on the next $26,800 (up to $45,000)
- 30% on the next $90,000 (up to $135,000)
- 37% on the remaining $10,756 (up to $190,000)
The total tax (before offsets) would be about $37,000, plus the 2% Medicare levy ($2,915), leaving roughly $106,000 after tax. That is a rough estimate; individual circumstances (HELP debt, private health insurance, deductions) will change the outcome.
What the data does not tell us
The ABS does not break down earnings by degree. There is no official "juris doctor salary" figure. The median for judicial and other legal professionals is the closest available, but it includes experienced judges and magistrates, which may push the median higher than what a fresh JD graduate would earn. Entry-level lawyer salaries are typically lower, often in the $70,000–$85,000 range for graduate roles in private practice, according to industry reports (not from the ABS).
For the most current and authoritative figures, always refer to the ABS Average Weekly Earnings release (next due November 2026) and the ABS Employee Earnings survey (next due August 2026). The Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool can help you check award rates for specific classifications.
How the figures are set explains the methodology behind the national average and medians.
Summary
A Juris Doctor is a valuable qualification that leads to a profession with median earnings well above the national average. The median full-time legal professional earns about $2,803 per week ($145,756 a year), compared to the national full-time average of $2,083.70 ($108,352). Award minimums are much lower, but most qualified lawyers earn significantly more. State averages vary, but the legal profession median exceeds every state's average full-time earnings.
About this site has more on how we use ABS, Fair Work, and ATO data to keep the line accurate.