Hiring a lawyer in Winston-Salem, NC

Do Winston-Salem residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Winston-Salem, NC area pay?

Winston-Salem residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $77,679 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $86,805 as the median of the 4 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Winston-Salem, NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole legal group, not this one role. In the Winston-Salem, NC area the group covers 4 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from legal support workers, all other at $48,450 to lawyers at $126,250 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 4 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Winston-Salem residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in Winston-Salem?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). O*NET OnLine, SOC 23-1011.

That matters here, because 37.2% of Winston-Salem adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Winston-Salem aged 25 and over.

The average Winston-Salem commute runs 21.8 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 12.3% of Winston-Salem workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Winston-Salem.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Forsyth County, legal services employs 1,743 and turns over 5.4% a quarter, with 134 hires against 107 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $6,418 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5411.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about lawyers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $126,250 median in the Winston-Salem, NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $25,250 to $37,875 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a lawyer in Winston-Salem

What does it cost to hire a lawyer in Winston-Salem?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $126,250 median wage in the Winston-Salem, NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $25,250 to $37,875 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a lawyer in Winston-Salem look like?

Employers in the Winston-Salem, NC area pay lawyers a median of $126,250, with the middle half of the market between $80,570 and $196,310 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $80,570 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Winston-Salem residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Winston-Salem, NC area pay?

Winston-Salem residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $77,679 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $86,805 as the median of the 4 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Winston-Salem, NC area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Winston-Salem?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 37.2% of Winston-Salem adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Related

• Hiring Lawyers: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Winston-Salem
• Every North Carolina city we cover

Winston-Salem is the 5th largest of 6 North Carolina cities in this dataset.