It has often been suggested there are too many lawyers here in New York State. There is, in fact, 1 lawyer for every 390 people in NYS, as compared to 1 lawyer for every 2272 residents of North Dakota. It’s hard to say whether it should make us feel any better to know, on the other hand, that Washington, D.C. has 13.5 times as many lawyers per capita as New York State — with one lawyer for every 36 residents of D.C.. (See the Avery Index of Lawyers per Capita by State.)
We learned this morning, via Simple Justice, that
The New York Lawyer has provided a chart to show the distribution of lawyers throughout the various counties of the State of New York. The chart shows the ratio of lawyers to human beings.
Scott Greenfield says “It explains a lot” and — comparing it to Manhattan — extolls the virtues of living in Queens (where you’ll find an empty diner seat whenever you want one).
The f/k/a Gang has to head out to see our primary medical provider, so you can decide for yourself (and let us know) what these numbers mean:
Lawyers per capita in Capital Region Counties of NYS:
COUNTY LAWYERS PER CAPITA
Albany County 4317 69/1
Columbia 220 283/1
Montgomery 85 573/1
Saratoga 594 363/1
Schenectady 456 331/1
Schoharie 59 543/1
Warren 252 262/1
Washington 71 884/1
Most lawyers per capita in New York State by County:
New York 77,952 21/1
Albany County 4317 69/1
Westchester 9,890 96/1
Nassau 13,259 99/1
Fewest lawyers per capita in NYS by County
Allegheny 46 1,079/1
Lewis 22 1,203/1
Orleans 29 1,461/1
Counties with the most lawyers:
New York 77,952
Nassau 13,259
Westchester 9890
Suffolk 6684
Kings [Brooklyn] 6050
Queens 5534
Erie [Buffalo] 4809
Albany County 4317
Monroe [Rochester] 3320
Bronx 2461
Onondaga [Syracuse] 2374
Counties with the fewest lawyers:
Hamilton 14
Schuyler 21
Lewis 22
Orleans 29
p.s. Rural Japan has a shortage of lawyers, with many towns with 100,000 residents still totally lawyer-less. Depending on who you count as being the equivalent of a lawyer, Japan has either one-third or one-twentieth the number of lawyers that we have in the USA.
Very interesting statistics. I wonder where Australian cities and states fit into the equation. I hear New South Wales is one of the most litigious regions on the planet.
Comment by Velociroflcoptersaurus — December 12, 2008 @ 12:47 am