Average IQ of a lawyer: 113
The average IQ of a lawyer is about 113 to 120, depending on the study. In the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, men in legal occupations had a median IQ of about 113, with the middle half between 109 and 124.
Lawyers average about 113. What's yours?
25 questions · about 12 minutes
What would you score? Try question 1.
Which option completes the grid? One tap, no sign-up.
Key facts
- Best estimate
- 113, median, legal occupations (WLS)
- Middle 50% of lawyers
- 109 to 124 (25th to 75th percentile)
- Main source
- Hauser 2002. Plus Wonderlic and Army data.
Wonderlic data on attorney applicants and the 1944 US Army test both point nearer 120.
On the standard scale, where 100 is the average, 113 is higher than about 81% of people. See what an IQ of 113 means, or check any score with the IQ percentile calculator or the IQ chart.
Your score next to lawyers
Inside the typical range for lawyers, 3 points below the middle.
In the general population, 110 is higher than about 75% of people. Shaded band: middle 50% of lawyers (109 to 124).
What the studies show
Three independent sources agree that lawyers score well above average, but they differ on how far. The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which tested people in high school and recorded their job decades later, gives a median of about 113. Wonderlic data from 1992 put attorney applicants at the 91st percentile of adults, about IQ 120. In 1944, lawyers drafted into the US Army Air Force averaged 127.6 on the Army test, which is about 121 on the IQ scale.
The Wisconsin figure is lower partly because its group is broader ("legal occupations") and its IQ was measured years before people chose a career. Either way, the middle half of lawyers spans about 15 points.
The Wisconsin study is one US state, one generation born around 1939, and almost entirely white. Its IQ scale is anchored to Wisconsin high-school juniors in 1951, not to a national norm. Treat every figure as an estimate within a few points.
Published figures relevant to lawyers
Median 113 (middle half 109 to 124)
Hauser (2002), WLS. Men in legal occupations, 1992 to 1994. People in the job.
91st percentile of adults, about IQ 120
Wonderlic (1992), in Gottfredson (1997). Attorney applicants. People applying.
Army test mean 127.6, about IQ 121
Harrell & Harrell (1945). 94 lawyers in the US Army Air Force, 1944. Men only, 1940s.
Lawyers next to other jobs
Best estimates from the same sources, so the jobs can be compared. Ranges overlap a lot: every job has people well above and well below its average.
| Job | Median | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| DentistsClosest group | 120 | 112 to 127 |
| Doctors | 120 | 112 to 127 |
| SurgeonsClosest group | 120 | 112 to 127 |
| Professors | 116 | 106 to 125 |
| Electrical engineers | 113 | 103 to 121 |
| Lawyers | 113 | 109 to 124 |
| Mechanical engineersClosest group | 110 | 99 to 123 |
| Software developers | 110 | 102 to 120 |
| Software engineers | 110 | 102 to 120 |
| ActuariesClosest group | 109 | 99 to 117 |
| Civil engineersClosest group | 109 | 99 to 120 |
| Nurses | 107 | 99 to 117 |
Medians from Hauser (2002), Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. “Closest group” rows have no study of their own and use the nearest published group.
What the job demands
Cognitive load is Medium. That means sustained reasoning is required, not occasional cleverness.
LifeScore role ratings, 1 to 10. Editorial, not measured.
- Logic and analysis
- 8
- Stress
- 10
- Social contact
- 1
- Structure and routine
- 7
- Creativity
- 4
Making the career sustainable
A common misconception is that IQ alone predicts success. In reality, discipline and environment design often dominate outcomes once you’re above a baseline competence threshold.
General reasoning affects how fast people learn a role, but it is not a gate. Qualifications, practice, domain knowledge, tools, teamwork and job design all change performance.
Average IQ of a lawyer: questions people ask
What is the average IQ of a lawyer?
What IQ do you need to be a lawyer?
Are lawyers smarter than doctors?
Is being a lawyer stressful?
What personality traits help a lawyer?
Can I succeed as a lawyer if I’m below the “recommended” IQ?
Next in Careers and IQ
More in Careers and IQ
- Average IQ by universityEstimated IQ and student profiles
- Average IQ by college majorRanked, from SAT and GRE research
Related tools
- Wonderlic practice test50 questions in 12 minutes
- Career IQ matcherCareers that fit your score
- CCAT practice testThe hiring test many employers use
Lawyers average about 113. What's yours?
Treat your score as one data point next to your skills, interests and experience. It is never a reason to rule a career in or out.
25 questions · about 12 minutes
Sources
- Hauser, R. M. (2002). Meritocracy, cognitive ability, and the sources of occupational success. CDE Working Paper 98-07, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Figures 11 and 12).
- Gottfredson, L. S. (1997). Why g matters: The complexity of everyday life. Intelligence, 24(1), 79-132 (Figure 1, from the Wonderlic Personnel Test User's Manual, 1992).
- Harrell, T. W., & Harrell, M. S. (1945). Army General Classification Test scores for civilian occupations. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 5, 229-239. Reproduced in Schmidt & Hunter (2004), Table 1.
- Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (2004). General mental ability in the world of work: Occupational attainment and job performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(1), 162-173.
- O*NET OnLine. Occupational tasks, skills and work context. US Department of Labor.
Reviewed October 2026 by the LifeScore Editorial Team. Editorial policy