Go Rural Young Lawyer

That would be the conclusion you would draw from a recent study of lawyers and salaries (especially of consumer based lawyers) conducted on behalf of the Indiana State Bar Association.  According to Imperical Legal Studies, one of the most surprising findings in an analysis of the study was the lower incomes of small firm lawyers (i.e., five or fewer lawyers per firm) in large metropolitan areas versus  mid-sized and small and rural markets.  Lawyers working full-time in 1 to 5 lawyer firms in large metropolitan areas made an average of $112,712 vs. $117,284 in mid-sized markets (75,000 to 200,000 residents) and $117,741 in small and rural locales.  The article analyzes why this might be true, and I will let you read the post on the study.  However, it comes down to competition (or lack thereof).  The point that is likely is that living in a more rural setting is cheaper.