From 332 posted pay ranges · updated October 29, 2026
Patent attorney and patent agent salary, October 2026
Patent attorney postings on our board state a median range of $225k to $310k a year (median midpoint $273k, from 225 postings). Patent agent postings state $123k to $200k a year (median midpoint $170k, from 80 postings). These are 332 ranges employers posted in the last twelve months, not estimates.
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. For the lockstep scale large firms pay associates, see the Big Law salary scale.
Patent Attorney
$273k
median midpoint of 225 posted ranges; middle half $215k–$313k
Patent Agent
$170k
median midpoint of 80 posted ranges; middle half $145k–$182k
All patent roles
$218k
median midpoint of 332 posted ranges; middle half $173k–$294k
By role
| Role | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patent Attorney | 225 | $225k–$310k | $273k | $215k–$313k |
| Patent Agent | 80 | $123k–$200k | $170k | $145k–$182k |
| Technical Specialist / Scientific Advisor | 27 | $110k–$170k | $143k | $119k–$149k |
By role and experience
| Role and level | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patent Attorney · early career | 18 | $225k–$260k | $243k | $208k–$313k |
| Patent Attorney · mid-level | 136 | $225k–$310k | $270k | $208k–$313k |
| Patent Attorney · senior | 38 | $223k–$341k | $284k | $259k–$300k |
| Patent Agent · early career | 12 | $111k–$155k | $130k | $128k–$141k |
| Patent Agent · mid-level | 32 | $125k–$206k | $169k | $147k–$188k |
| Patent Agent · senior | 3 | fewer than 5 postings | ||
| Technical Specialist / Scientific Advisor · early career | 11 | $110k–$155k | $140k | $115k–$144k |
| Technical Specialist / Scientific Advisor · mid-level | 8 | $113k–$185k | $145k | $143k–$151k |
By technology
| Technology | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical / Software / High-Tech | 131 | $165k–$230k | $200k | $156k–$273k |
| Biomedical | 101 | $195k–$270k | $238k | $177k–$295k |
| Pharmaceutical | 29 | $210k–$311k | $271k | $200k–$301k |
| Chemical | 41 | $185k–$240k | $208k | $178k–$255k |
| Mechanical | 35 | $165k–$225k | $208k | $145k–$243k |
Law firm or in-house
| Setting | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law firm | 257 | $190k–$250k | $210k | $165k–$300k |
| In-house | 75 | $195k–$284k | $249k | $187k–$282k |
By city
| City | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | 105 | $215k–$260k | $243k | $170k–$303k |
| New York, NY | 79 | $215k–$275k | $253k | $170k–$313k |
| Boston, MA | 68 | $180k–$229k | $200k | $167k–$273k |
| San Diego, CA | 48 | $204k–$272k | $253k | $188k–$303k |
| San Francisco, CA | 45 | $225k–$320k | $273k | $200k–$325k |
| Austin, TX | 33 | $150k–$225k | $188k | $160k–$270k |
| Chicago, IL | 31 | $150k–$235k | $188k | $155k–$273k |
| Seattle, WA | 31 | $175k–$250k | $200k | $185k–$304k |
| Silicon Valley, CA | 29 | $225k–$260k | $243k | $153k–$300k |
| Los Angeles, CA | 28 | $213k–$314k | $271k | $188k–$303k |
| Dallas, TX | 27 | $125k–$200k | $163k | $153k–$271k |
| Atlanta, GA | 26 | $200k–$250k | $209k | $181k–$273k |
| Palo Alto, CA | 24 | $180k–$240k | $210k | $169k–$289k |
| Houston, TX | 23 | $150k–$215k | $178k | $154k–$271k |
| Minneapolis, MN | 20 | $170k–$200k | $189k | $147k–$222k |
Patent agent salary
Patent agents are registered with the USPTO but are not lawyers. Patent agent postings on our board state a median range of $123k to $200k a year (median midpoint $170k; middle half $145k–$182k), from 80 postings that state their pay. The median midpoint is $103k below that of patent attorney postings. Only ranges agent postings state themselves count; each group below needs at least 5 postings.
Patent agents by experience
| Experience | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| early career | 12 | $111k–$155k | $130k | $128k–$141k |
| mid-level | 32 | $125k–$206k | $169k | $147k–$188k |
| senior | 3 | fewer than 5 postings | ||
Patent agents by technology
| Technology | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical / Software / High-Tech | 35 | $120k–$200k | $160k | $145k–$176k |
| Biomedical | 26 | $123k–$206k | $170k | $144k–$186k |
| Pharmaceutical | 3 | fewer than 5 postings | ||
| Chemical | 15 | $120k–$200k | $177k | $147k–$194k |
| Mechanical | 9 | $120k–$175k | $148k | $143k–$153k |
Patent agents at law firms and in-house
| Setting | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Law firm | 74 | $123k–$200k | $169k | $145k–$188k |
| In-house | 6 | $130k–$201k | $170k | $159k–$170k |
Patent agents by city
| City | Postings | Typical range | Median midpoint | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | 22 | $123k–$200k | $166k | $153k–$176k |
| Boston, MA | 21 | $130k–$200k | $175k | $153k–$178k |
| New York, NY | 21 | $140k–$200k | $175k | $160k–$178k |
| Palo Alto, CA | 14 | $123k–$225k | $175k | $160k–$204k |
| San Francisco, CA | 13 | $150k–$225k | $188k | $160k–$210k |
| Austin, TX | 10 | $140k–$200k | $165k | $160k–$185k |
| Chicago, IL | 10 | $120k–$220k | $177k | $146k–$180k |
| San Diego, CA | 10 | $150k–$227k | $188k | $179k–$200k |
| Dallas, TX | 9 | $120k–$200k | $153k | $153k–$160k |
| Denver, CO | 7 | $120k–$215k | $178k | $149k–$180k |
| Houston, TX | 7 | $120k–$200k | $160k | $154k–$169k |
| Silicon Valley, CA | 6 | $128k–$213k | $170k | $130k–$197k |
| Los Angeles, CA | 5 | $140k–$215k | $178k | $150k–$188k |
How to become a patent agent · Open patent agent jobs · Free Patent Bar practice questions
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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