California attorney count at a glance
| Active attorneys (2024) | 192,257 |
| Active attorneys (2023) | 190,751 |
| Year-over-year change | +0.79% |
| National rank (top 10 set) | #1 |
| Per-capita rank (US) | #8 |
| Source of record | The State Bar of California |
Reference figures from ABA National Lawyer Population Survey, 2024. BarSourced live-catalog counts (where shown) are pulled weekly from The State Bar of California and reflect deliverable, SMTP-verified rows only.
Where California attorneys practice
Most California attorneys concentrate in the state's largest metros. Based on published bar directory data, the metros carrying the biggest share of active licensees are Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento.
For city-level breakdowns and email counts, jump into the California attorney email list.
How other top-10 states compare
| Rank | State | Active attorneys (2024) | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 192,257 | +0.79% |
| 2 | New York | 187,127 | +1.14% |
| 3 | Florida | 118,927 | +2.60% |
| 4 | Texas | 113,258 | +2.00% |
| 5 | Illinois | 93,033 | +0.44% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 65,004 | +0.86% |
| 7 | Georgia | 55,046 | +1.60% |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 49,933 | +0.53% |
| 9 | Ohio | 47,853 | +0.64% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 42,929 | +0.85% |
How the figures were compiled
Reference counts are the ABA's published totals from the National Lawyer Population Survey, which each state bar submits to the American Bar Association each year. The survey reflects resident and non-resident active members counted as of January 1 of the reporting year.
Where BarSourced maintains a live email catalog for a state, the "live catalog" row shows the count of deliverable, SMTP-verified rows pulled weekly from that state's official bar directory. Catalog totals will typically be lower than the ABA reference number because they exclude out-of-state residents, addresses that failed SMTP, and role inboxes.
Frequently asked questions
- How many attorneys are in California in 2026?
- 192,257 active attorneys were licensed in California as of the latest ABA National Lawyer Population Survey, 2024. Live catalog counts inside BarSourced refresh weekly from The State Bar of California and may differ slightly from the ABA figure due to timing of admissions, resignations, and inactive-status changes.
- Where does the CA attorney count come from?
- The reference figure is published in the ABA National Lawyer Population Survey, which each state bar submits to the American Bar Association annually. BarSourced independently pulls active members weekly from The State Bar of California to build the deliverable email catalog.
- Is the number of California attorneys growing?
- Yearly changes are small in absolute terms (typically 0-2% per state). The full year-over-year table on this page shows the 2023-to-2024 shift for every state we publish figures for.
- How can I reach California attorneys?
- Use the BarSourced list builder to filter active California attorneys by city and practice area. Every row is SMTP-verified on collection, priced per lead, with no subscription and no order minimum.
California attorneys by practice area
Jump straight into the bar-verified email list for any California practice area:
- California personal injury attorney email list →
- California criminal defense attorney email list →
- California family law attorney email list →
- California bankruptcy attorney email list →
- California immigration attorney email list →
- California real estate attorney email list →
- California estate planning attorney email list →
Deeper data on the US attorney population
Cite this page as: BarSourced, "How many attorneys are in California in 2026," updated August 2026. Reference figure: ABA National Lawyer Population Survey, 2024.