Legal

Lawyer Salary in Rhode Island (2026)

Average Lawyer pay in Rhode Island

$159,690/year

≈ $77/hour before tax

Middle 50% earn $108,200–$200,130

US average: $185,840

Source: BLS, May 2025

After tax (single filer)

$113,331/year

$9,444/month · effective tax rate 29.03%

  • Federal $27,060
  • State $5,983
  • Disability / leave $1,100
  • FICA $12,216
  • Take-home

Pay by role in Rhode Island

  • Partner / Of Counsel (RI Biglaw)$345,000–$1,150,000+ bonus
  • Sr Counsel (CVS Health Woonsocket)$255,000–$525,000+ bonus
  • Sr Counsel (Hasbro Pawtucket)$215,000–$425,000+ bonus
  • Sr Counsel (Citizens Financial / Fidelity / Amica)$225,000–$445,000+ bonus
  • Sr M&A / Healthcare / Pharma Lawyer$235,000–$465,000+ bonus
  • Sr Newport Defense + Cleared In-House$215,000–$425,000+ bonus
See all 11 roles with notes
See the full tax breakdown
CategoryAmount
Annual Take-Home Pay
$113,331
Monthly Take-Home Pay
$9,444
Biweekly Take-Home Pay
$4,359
Hourly Take-Home Pay

based on 2,080 hrs/year

$54/hr
Federal Tax
$27,060
State Tax
$5,983
RI Temporary Disability
$1,100
FICA Taxes
$12,216
Effective Tax Rate

total taxes ÷ gross salary

29.03%
Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

Not all Lawyers earn the same — not even close

Rhode Island's lawyer market is anchored by RI-HQ + multi-state biglaw + regional firms (Adler Pollock & Sheehan Providence largest RI-HQ + Hinckley Allen Providence + Partridge Snow & Hahn Providence + Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara Providence + Locke Lord Providence + Edwards Wildman Palmer Providence + Robinson & Cole Providence + Nixon Peabody Providence + the substantial RI biglaw), CVS Health Woonsocket in-house + the substantial CVS Health post-2018 CVS-Aetna $69B integration + post-2024 Oak Street Health + Signify Health acquisitions counsel, Hasbro Pawtucket in-house + the substantial Hasbro post-2023 Hasbro-eOne integration counsel, Citizens Financial Providence + Fidelity Smithfield + Amica Mutual in-house counsel + financial services regulatory, Newport defense in-house (NUWC + Raytheon Portsmouth + GD Electric Boat Quonset cross-state submarine), Roger Williams University School of Law Bristol (the only RI ABA-accredited law school + ~140 JDs/yr + the substantial RWU Law as one of country's well-established US law schools post-1992 founding), plus post-2020 Providence + Newport + Watch Hill UHNW migration estate planning + the substantial post-2020 NYC-Boston-PHL UHNW.

Partner / Of Counsel (RI Biglaw)

$345,000–$1,150,000+ bonus

Partner at Adler Pollock + Hinckley Allen + Partridge Snow + Pannone Lopes

Sr Counsel (CVS Health Woonsocket)

$255,000–$525,000+ bonus

CVS Health Fortune 4 · post-2018 CVS-Aetna + Oak Street Health + Signify Health

Sr Counsel (Hasbro Pawtucket)

$215,000–$425,000+ bonus

Hasbro · post-2023 Hasbro-eOne entertainment + Wizards of the Coast IP

Sr Counsel (Citizens Financial / Fidelity / Amica)

$225,000–$445,000+ bonus

Citizens + Fidelity + Amica · financial services regulatory + M&A + insurance

Sr M&A / Healthcare / Pharma Lawyer

$235,000–$465,000+ bonus

RI M&A + healthcare + pharma + post-2018 CVS-Aetna + post-2024 Oak Street

Sr Newport Defense + Cleared In-House

$215,000–$425,000+ bonus

NUWC + Raytheon Portsmouth + GD Electric Boat · cleared defense + ITAR

Sr Trust + Estate Counsel

$195,000–$365,000+ bonus

Providence + Newport UHNW · post-2020 NYC-Boston-PHL UHNW migration

Sr Associate (RI Biglaw)

$135,000–$215,000+ bonus

RI M&A + healthcare + financial + insurance · sub-specialty band

Sr Public Defender / Prosecutor

$92,000–$148,000+ bonus

RI Public Defender + Attorney General · RI Superior + District Court

Mid-Level Associate (3-6 yrs)

$108,000–$172,000+ bonus

Mid-level at RI biglaw · associate track to senior · sub-specialty band

Junior Associate (0-3 yrs)

$82,000–$128,000+ bonus

RWU Law + Suffolk Law + BC Law · RI bar admit · entry RI biglaw

Worth knowing: RI-HQ + multi-state biglaw cluster (Adler Pollock + Hinckley Allen + Partridge Snow + Pannone Lopes) + CVS Health Fortune 4 in-house + post-2018 CVS-Aetna $69B regulatory + Roger Williams University School of Law tri-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state regional biglaw + Fortune 4 healthcare regulatory + only RI ABA-accredited law school lawyer cluster and a feature most national lawyer surveys understate for RI. RI-HQ + multi-state biglaw (Adler Pollock & Sheehan Providence largest RI-HQ + Hinckley Allen + Partridge Snow & Hahn + Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara + Locke Lord + Edwards Wildman Palmer + Robinson & Cole + Nixon Peabody Providence). CVS Health Woonsocket in-house + the substantial CVS Health post-2018 CVS-Aetna $69B integration + post-2024 Oak Street Health $10.6B + Signify Health $8B acquisitions counsel. Hasbro Pawtucket in-house + post-2023 Hasbro-eOne integration. Citizens Financial Providence + Fidelity Smithfield + Amica Mutual financial services regulatory. Newport defense in-house (NUWC + Raytheon Portsmouth + GD Electric Boat). Roger Williams University School of Law Bristol (the only RI ABA-accredited law school + ~140 JDs/yr + post-1992 founding). post-2020 Providence + Newport + Watch Hill UHNW migration estate planning. RI progressive top 5.99% + RI NLC since 2024 anchor the RI lawyer proposition.

Sources & Methodology

Salary figures are market estimates for Lawyers in Rhode Island and vary by employer, specialty, seniority, and metro. Take-home math assumes a single filer with no dependents, the standard deduction, and Rhode Island 2026 state rates. Local taxes, insurance premiums, and pre-tax contributions will move your number — run the calculator for your own situation.

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