Employment Counsel salary: $197,000 median total compensation
Employment Counsel (sometimes Labor & Employment Counsel) partners day-to-day with HR on hiring, classification, accommodations, internal investigations, separations and reductions in force. Multi-state and multi-country coverage is the main pay differentiator.
National median
$197,000
base + bonus + equity
Highest-paying metro
San Francisco
$245,000 median
Best after cost of living
Austin
$178,000 adjusted
Employment Counsel salary by city
Total compensation medians as of August 2026. Adjusted column normalizes each metro to a national cost-of-living index of 100.
| Metro | Median total | Typical range | COL adjusted | YoY | Open roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $245,000 | $191K – $333K | $135,000 | +7.0% | 848 |
| New York, NY | $231,000 | $180K – $314K | $138,000 | +6.7% | 797 |
| Seattle, WA | $223,000 | $174K – $303K | $147,000 | +6.3% | 772 |
| Boston, MA | $211,000 | $165K – $287K | $143,000 | +6.2% | 728 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $205,000 | $160K – $279K | $140,000 | +6.1% | 709 |
| Washington, DC | $203,000 | $158K – $276K | $142,000 | +6.0% | 702 |
| Austin, TX | $192,000 | $150K – $261K | $178,000 | +5.2% | 664 |
| Denver, CO | $189,000 | $147K – $257K | $163,000 | +5.4% | 652 |
| Chicago, IL | $187,000 | $146K – $254K | $167,000 | +5.3% | 645 |
| Dallas, TX | $181,000 | $141K – $246K | $177,000 | +5.0% | 626 |
| Atlanta, GA | $179,000 | $140K – $243K | $174,000 | +5.0% | 620 |
| Raleigh, NC | $174,000 | $136K – $237K | $176,000 | +4.9% | 601 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $172,000 | $134K – $234K | $165,000 | +5.1% | 595 |
| Tampa, FL | $168,000 | $131K – $228K | $166,000 | +5.0% | 582 |
What moves Employment Counsel pay
- Number of states or countries covered, and any unionized workforce exposure
- Internal investigations and executive separation experience
- Whether the role owns immigration, equity/comp or benefits questions as well
- Company headcount and growth or restructuring intensity
How this title compares
Median total compensation across the in-house legal ladder, national figures.
Employment Counsel salary: common questions
- What is the average Employment Counsel salary in the US?
- The national median total compensation for employment counsel is $197,000 as of August 2026, spanning $168,000 in lower-cost metros to $245,000 in San Francisco.
- What does an employment counsel role actually do?
- Advises HR on employment law, investigations and workforce actions. Employment Counsel (sometimes Labor & Employment Counsel) partners day-to-day with HR on hiring, classification, accommodations, internal investigations, separations and reductions in force. Multi-state and multi-country coverage is the main pay differentiator.
- Which cities pay employment counsel best?
- San Francisco ($245,000), New York ($231,000), Seattle ($223,000), Boston ($211,000), Los Angeles ($205,000). On a cost-of-living adjusted basis, lower-cost metros often net more.
- How is this Employment Counsel salary data calculated?
- Figures are total compensation medians (base plus bonus plus equity) derived from MaxMyPay's legal and compliance benchmark set across 14 US metros, scaled by role seniority and adjusted for metro cost of living. They are directional market estimates as of August 2026, not offers.
Is your Employment Counsel package at market?
A median is not your number. MaxMyPay builds a personalized valuation range from your own resume and experience, then shows what that exact profile earns in every metro we track.