Dead Last: NYC Public Defender Salaries Rank 14th Out of 14
By Navruz Baum
Workers at the Bronx Defenders picket for higher pay and other bargaining demands — July 10, 2025
A review of national public defender compensation data by The ALAA Organizer reveals that New York City public defender salaries are far below those of other major cities when adjusted for cost of living. This disparity exacerbates high turnover rates, draining experience from defender offices and ultimately harming clients.
| Rank | Location | Starting Salary | Cost of Living Adjustment | Starting Salary (NYC Dollars) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | $88,380 | 1.91 | $168,735 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $150,124 | 1.08 | $161,639 |
| 3 | Las Vegas, NV | $85,051 | 1.82 | $154,827 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $91,141 | 1.53 | $139,610 |
| 5 | Colorado | $84,604 | 1.64 | $138,987 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh, PA | $68,958 | 1.82 | $125,531 |
| 7 | Philadelphia | $64,000 | 1.73 | $110,822 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $70,496 | 1.55 | $109,551 |
| 9 | Washington, DC | $83,830 | 1.27 | $106,078 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $70,000 | 1.48 | $103,341 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $65,000 | 1.59 | $103,175 |
| 12 | New Orleans, LA | $60,000 | 1.59 | $95,238 |
| 13 | Los Angeles, CA | $79,107 | 1.20 | $94,834 |
| 14 | NYC (LAS) | $83,844 | 1.00 | $85,026 |
With an entry-level salary of $85,026 ($83,844 before bar passage), an NYC public defender at the Legal Aid Society (LAS) makes significantly less than their counterparts when adjusted for local costs. Public defenders in places like Minnesota and Las Vegas, where the cost of living is lower, effectively earn nearly double what NYC defenders make. Even in notoriously expensive cities like San Francisco and Washington, DC, adjusted salaries remain well ahead.
These dismal wages fuel attrition and disrupt client representation. Public defenders often leave for better-paying government or private-sector jobs, forcing offices to constantly train new attorneys. Clients suffer from a revolving door of attorneys, weakening attorney-client relationships and legal strategies.
"We have so many attorneys leave for better paying jobs, that some clients will have multiple lawyers through the course of their case," said Michelle McGrath, a public defender at the Legal Aid Society. "It’s destabilizing, and undermines our efforts to provide high quality representation for our community members.”
Our analysis used union contracts, job listings, and news articles to compile salary data. We looked for data from all major American cities and included everything we were able to find. The cost-of-living adjustments are based on data from The Council for Community and Economic Research, weighted for Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens—where three-quarters of ALAA members live. While LAS serves as the benchmark, many other NYC public defender offices pay even less, worsening the problem.
Without competitive wages, NYC public defender offices will continue hemorrhaging talent—leaving clients, not just attorneys, to bear the consequences. Recognizing the urgency of this crisis, workers are calling for salary increases and a sustainable cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to keep pace with inflation. These demands aim to stabilize the workforce, improve client representation, and ensure that defenders can continue their critical work.