<p>The median salary ten years out might not be that different from the starting salaries. The tiny percentage who become partners at big firms will be making far more, but almost all of the others will have moved on from the big law firm world to venues where salaries are less rarified.</p>
<p>...which is why you use median, not mean, salary - the few at the top do not skew the data as much. (Sorry, math nerd here.)</p>
<p>Aries athena is generally correct. I would, however, add an addendum to her statement:</p>
<p>It is best to know both the mean and the median so that one may deduce the skew of the data. In certain cases, the textbook rules concerning median and mean can be broken when used with unusual distributions.</p>
<p>sorry, math nerd and devil's advocate here :)</p>
<p>"In certain cases, the textbook rules concerning median and mean can be broken when used with unusual distributions."</p>
<p>True. You can determine if a data point (or two, or whatever) sufficiently skews the data so as to be excluded. I forget the formula, but it involves calculating your data points with and without the outlier, then making a determination as to whether or not it is a valid data point.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>It's been a long time since I took stats. Thanks, Aries!</p>
<p>US News rankings from 1987-1994</p>
<p>1994 1994
1 Yale
2 Harvard
3 Stanford
4 Chicago
5 Columbia
6 NYU
7 Duke
8 Michigan
9 Penn
10 Berkeley
11 Cornell
12 Northwestern
13 Georgetown
14 UVA
15 Vanderbilt
16 UCLA
17 Minnesota
18 USC
19 Iowa
20 UC Hastings
21 UT
22 Emory
22 Washington & Lee
24 Boston College
25 Univ. of Washington</p>
<p>1993 1993
1 Yale
2 Harvard
3 Stanford
4 Chicago
5 Columbia
6 NYU
7 Michigan
8 UVA
9 Duke
10 Georgetown
11 Penn
12 Berkeley
13 Northwestern
14 Cornell
15 UT
16 Vanderbilt
17 UCLA
18 USC
19 Boston College
20 Notre Dame
21 George Washington
22 Wisconsin
23 UC Hastings
23 Iowa
25 Minnesota</p>
<p>1992 1992
1 Yale
2 Harvard
3 Stanford
4 Chicago
5 Columbia
6 Michigan
7 NYU
8 UVA
9 Duke
10 Penn
11 Georgetown
12 Berkeley
13 Northwestern
14 Cornell
15 UT
16 Vanderbilt
17 UCLA
18 USC
19 UC Hastings
20 Notre Dame
21 Minnesota
22 Boston College
22 Univ. of Washington
24 George Washington
25 Iowa</p>
<p>1991 1991
1 Yale
2 Harvard
3 Chicago
4 Stanford
5 Columbia
6 Michigan
7 NYU
8 UVA
9 Duke
10 Penn
11 Georgetown
12 Berkeley
13 Cornell
14 Northwestern
15 UT Austin
16 USC
17 Vanderbilt
18 UCLA
19 Univ. of Iowa
20 UC Hastings
21 Wisconsin
22 George Washington
22 Minnesota
24 Notre Dame
24 UNC Chapel Hill</p>
<p>1990 1990
1 Yale
2 Chicago
3 Stanford
4 Columbia
5 Harvard
6 NYU
7 Michigan
8 Duke
9 Penn
10 UVA
11 Northwestern
12 Georgetown
13 Berkeley
14 Cornell
15 Vanderbilt
16 UT
17 USC
18 UCLA
19 Notre Dame
20 Boston College
21 UNC Chapel Hill
22 UC Davis
23 George Washington
23 Emory
25 Washington & Lee
25 UIUC</p>
<p>1987 1987
1 Harvard
1 Yale
3 Michigan
4 Columbia
4 Stanford
6 Chicago
7 Berkeley
8 UVA
9 NYU
10 Penn
11 UT
12 Duke
13 Georgetown
14 UCLA
15 Cornell
16 Northwestern
17 UIUC
17 USC
19 Minnesota
20 Wisconsin</p>
<p>and
2003 2003
1 Yale
2 Stanford
3 Harvard
4 Columbia
5 NYU
6 Chicago
7 Michigan
7 Penn
9 UVA
10 Cornell
10 Berkeley
12 Duke
12 Northwestern
14 Georgetown
15 UT
16 UCLA
17 Vanderbilt
18 USC
19 Minnesota
19 Washington & Lee
21 Iowa
22 Boston College
22 George Washington
22 Notre Dame
25 UIUC
25 Wash. U. (St. Louis)</p>
<p>2002 2002
1 Yale
2 Stanford
3 Harvard
4 Columbia
5 NYU
6 Chicago
7 Berkeley
7 Michigan
7 Penn
7 UVA
11 Northwestern
12 Duke
13 Cornell
14 Georgetown
15 UT
16 UCLA
17 Vanderbilt
18 Iowa
18 Minnesota
18 USC
18 Washington & Lee
22 Boston College
22 Emory
24 Notre Dame
25 Boston University
25 George Washington
25 UIUC
25 Univ. of Washington
25 Wisconsin
25 Wash. U. (St. Louis)</p>
<p>2001 2001
1 Yale
2 Stanford
3 Harvard
4 Columbia
5 NYU
6 Chicago
7 Michigan
7 UVA
9 Berkeley
10 Duke
10 Penn
12 Cornell
13 Northwestern
14 Georgetown
15 UT
16 UCLA
17 Vanderbilt
18 USC
19 Minnesota
20 Iowa
20 Washington & Lee
22 Boston College
23 George Washington
23 UIUC
23 UNC Chapel Hill
23 Univ. of Washington</p>
<p>2000 2000
1 Yale
2 Stanford
3 Harvard
4 NYU
5 Columbia
6 Chicago
7 Michigan
8 Berkeley
8 UVA
10 Cornell
10 Duke
12 Northwestern
12 Penn
14 Georgetown
15 UT
16 UCLA
17 USC
18 Vanderbilt
19 Minnesota
20 Washington & Lee
21 Iowa
22 UNC Chapel Hill
23 Boston Collge
23 George Washington
23 UIUC</p>
<p>1999 1999
1 Yale
2 Harvard
2 Stanford
4 NYU
5 Columbia
6 Chicago
7 UVA
8 Duke
8 Michigan
10 Cornell
10 Berkeley
12 Northwestern
12 Penn
14 Georgetown
15 UT
16 UCLA
16 Vanderbilt
18 Minnesota
18 USC
20 Washington & Lee
21 UNC Chapel Hill
21 Notre Dame
23 UIUC
23 Iowa
25 George Washington
25 Univ. of Washington</p>
<p>1998 1998
1 Yale
2 Harvard
2 Stanford
4 Columbia
4 Chicago
6 NYU
7 Berkeley
8 Duke
8 Michigan
8 Penn
8 UVA
12 Cornell
12 Georgetown
12 Northwestern
15 USC
16 Vanderbilt
17 UCLA
18 Minnesota
19 Washington & Lee
20 George Washington
20 UIUC
22 Boston College
23 Univ. of Washington
24 Iowa
25 Emory
25 Fordham
25 UNC Chapel Hill
25 Notre Dame</p>
<p>1997 1997
1 Yale
2 Harvard
3 Stanford
4 Chicago
5 Columbia
6 NYU
7 Michigan
8 UVA
9 Berkeley
10 Duke
11 Penn
12 Cornell
13 Georgetown
14 Northwestern
15 USC
16 Vanderbilt
17 UCLA
18 UT
19 UIUC
20 Minnesota
21 Notre Dame
22 Boston College
23 George Washington
24 Iowa
25 Washington & Lee</p>
<p>1996 1996
1 Yale
2 Harvard
3 Stanford
4 Chicago
5 Columbia
6 NYU
7 Michigan
8 Penn
9 UVA
10 Duke
11 Cornell
12 Georgetown
12 Berkeley
14 Northwestern
15 USC
16 Vanderbilt
17 UCLA
18 UT
19 UIUC
20 Washington & Lee
21 Minnesota
22 George Washington
23 Emory
23 Univ. of Washington
25 Notre Dame</p>
<p>1995 1995
1 Yale
2 Harvard
2 Stanford
4 Chicago
5 Columbia
6 NYU
7 UVA
8 Duke
8 Berkeley
8 Michigan
11 Northwestern
11 Penn
13 Georgetown
14 Cornell
15 USC
16 Vanderbilt
17 UT
18 Minnesota
19 Iowa
20 UIUC
21 Washington & Lee
22 George Washington
23 Wisconsin
24 UCLA</p>
<p>Thanks a lot. I was looking for these.</p>