Also called: Assistant District Attorney, Deputy DA, Assistant U.S. Attorney
Represents the government in criminal cases, deciding what charges to bring and proving them in court.
A young prosecutor can carry 100+ cases at once, handling bail hearings, plea talks, and short trials in a single day. They meet with police detectives, review body-cam footage, and talk with victims. Federal prosecutors (AUSAs) handle bigger cases like fraud or drug trafficking and earn more.
Local DA offices pay less than private firms; Assistant U.S. Attorneys can reach $190k+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 7 years after high school. Bachelor's in any subject, then a 3-year Juris Doctor (JD) and passing the state bar exam.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Criminal Justice, Political Science, Sociology, History, English.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). BLS projection for all lawyers (2024-34).
Low risk for 10 years. AI can summarize reports and body-cam footage; charging decisions, plea talks and trying cases in court stay with licensed humans.
Classes: AP U.S. Government, Speech and debate, Psychology, Criminal justice CTE class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 23-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.