Start with the answer
Lawyers pay in New Mexico and New York
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Lawyers is $119,680 per year in New Mexico. It is $207,860 per year in New York. New Mexico is 42.4% below New York on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 23-1011 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 3,380 wage and salary jobs in New Mexico and 91,870 in New York. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
