From 237 posted pay ranges · updated October 14, 2026
Patent attorney and patent agent salaries
What patent attorneys, patent agents and technical specialists are paid, from the salary ranges that job postings on our patent job board state themselves: law firms and companies, seen in the last twelve months. No surveys and no estimates.
Patent Attorney
$273k
median midpoint of 161 posted ranges; middle half $215k–$313k
Patent Agent
$165k
median midpoint of 55 posted ranges; middle half $145k–$179k
All patent roles
$218k
median midpoint of 237 posted ranges; middle half $170k–$294k
By role
| Role | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patent Attorney | 161 | $225k–$315k | $273k | $215k–$313k |
| Patent Agent | 55 | $120k–$200k | $165k | $145k–$179k |
| Technical Specialist / Scientific Advisor | 21 | $110k–$160k | $143k | $120k–$148k |
By role and experience
| Role and level | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patent Attorney · early career | 14 | $225k–$313k | $269k | $208k–$324k |
| Patent Attorney · mid-level | 95 | $225k–$310k | $271k | $200k–$313k |
| Patent Attorney · senior | 25 | $210k–$342k | $278k | $258k–$295k |
| Patent Agent · early career | 8 | $100k–$158k | $135k | $123k–$141k |
| Patent Agent · mid-level | 23 | $120k–$215k | $168k | $146k–$188k |
| Patent Agent · senior | 2 | fewer than 5 postings | ||
| Technical Specialist / Scientific Advisor · early career | 9 | $115k–$155k | $140k | $115k–$145k |
| Technical Specialist / Scientific Advisor · mid-level | 7 | $100k–$185k | $143k | $143k–$155k |
By technology
| Technology | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical / Software / High-Tech | 92 | $150k–$229k | $193k | $152k–$274k |
| Biomedical | 78 | $200k–$292k | $255k | $177k–$295k |
| Pharmaceutical | 26 | $210k–$311k | $265k | $200k–$295k |
| Chemical | 30 | $200k–$230k | $200k | $177k–$255k |
| Mechanical | 23 | $130k–$225k | $180k | $145k–$229k |
Law firm or in-house
| Setting | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law firm | 191 | $200k–$250k | $208k | $163k–$300k |
| In-house | 46 | $195k–$291k | $252k | $197k–$277k |
By city
| City | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | 80 | $200k–$278k | $255k | $162k–$313k |
| New York, NY | 64 | $220k–$298k | $260k | $164k–$313k |
| Boston, MA | 52 | $170k–$220k | $183k | $164k–$273k |
| San Diego, CA | 31 | $220k–$283k | $258k | $188k–$290k |
| San Francisco, CA | 31 | $225k–$328k | $275k | $183k–$325k |
| Austin, TX | 27 | $140k–$225k | $188k | $160k–$271k |
| Chicago, IL | 23 | $150k–$240k | $188k | $170k–$273k |
| Seattle, WA | 23 | $200k–$250k | $200k | $185k–$306k |
| Los Angeles, CA | 22 | $213k–$313k | $271k | $191k–$300k |
| Houston, TX | 21 | $150k–$215k | $178k | $160k–$270k |
| Silicon Valley, CA | 21 | $210k–$230k | $215k | $153k–$313k |
| Dallas, TX | 19 | $125k–$200k | $163k | $150k–$256k |
| Atlanta, GA | 18 | $172k–$236k | $198k | $167k–$243k |
| Minneapolis, MN | 18 | $195k–$200k | $200k | $151k–$236k |
| Cambridge, MA | 15 | $209k–$310k | $260k | $225k–$278k |
How these numbers are made
- Only ranges a posting itself states, read from its text, in U.S. dollars a year. Hourly ranges and our estimates are left out.
- Typical range is the median low end to the median high end; median midpoint is the middle of each range, then the median; middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile of the midpoints.
- A posting counts in every city and every experience level it lists. Groups with fewer than 5 postings show no figures.
- States that require pay ranges in postings (California, New York, Colorado, Washington, Illinois and others) are over-represented. Bonuses are not included, and a posted range is not an offer.
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