Federal Defender Salary
$47K - $54.5K
7% of jobs
$54.5K - $62K
16% of jobs
$62.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$62K - $69.5K
20% of jobs
The median wage is $72.4K / yr.
$69.5K - $77K
19% of jobs
$83.1K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$77K - $84.5K
16% of jobs
$84.5K - $92K
11% of jobs
$92K - $99.5K
5% of jobs
$99.5K - $107K
3% of jobs
$107K - $114.5K
1% of jobs
$114.5K - $122K
1% of jobs
$122K - $129.5K
1% of jobs
$47K
$73.5K
$131.5K
$78,587
/year
$37.78
/hour
Federal Defender Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$78,587
Columbus
Ohio
$75,907
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How much does a Federal Defender make?
As of Aug 14, 2026, the average annual pay for a Federal Defender in the United States is $78,587 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $37.78 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,511/week or $6,548/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $131,500 and as low as $47,000, the majority of Federal Defender salaries currently range between $64,000 (25th percentile) to $86,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $103,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Federal Defender varies greatly (by as much as 22000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Federal Defender in your area makes on average $75,907 per year, or $2,680 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $78,587. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Federal Defender salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Federal Defender jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Federal Defender on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Federal Defender Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Federal Defender job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Nome, AK, and Bethesda, MD, close behind in the second and third positions. Bethesda, MD, beats the national average by $18,364 (23.4%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $19,647 (25.0%) above the $78,587 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Federal Defender appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Pennington County, SD, and Haines Junction, YT, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Federal Defender role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Pennington County, SD | $98,234 | $47.23 |
Nome, AK | $97,487 | $46.87 |
Bethesda, MD | $96,951 | $46.61 |
Beverly, MA | $96,421 | $46.36 |
Berkeley, CA | $96,225 | $46.26 |
Glenwood Springs, CO | $94,754 | $45.55 |
Sitka, AK | $94,672 | $45.52 |
Kentville, NS | $93,358 | $44.88 |
Whitehorse, YT | $92,764 | $44.60 |
Haines Junction, YT | $92,393 | $44.42 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Federal Defender Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Federal Defender category.
For example Irs Chief Counsel jobs pay as much as $74,497 (94.8%) more than the average Federal Defender salary of $78,587. If you're qualified, finding work as a Irs Chief Counsel may help you make more money than that of the average Federal Defender position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Irs Chief Counsel | $153,084 | $73.60 |
Hedge Fund General Counsel | $151,643 | $72.91 |
Global Equity Finance | $124,326 | $59.77 |
Investment Director | $113,961 | $54.79 |
Global Investment Research Goldman Sachs | $93,248 | $44.83 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
