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Job title · Ohio

Public Defender in Ohio

Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Classification & Compensation lists 1 job class for this work in the Ohio state pay plan: Assistant Public Defender.

$76,440 – $108,722
state pay plan range, a year
1
classes in the state plan
$131,020
median pay in OH, all employers
19,950
workers in OH (SOC 23-1011)

Sources: Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Classification & Compensation, Ohio State Classification Plan — Pay Range Booklet and Pay Range Schedules (rates effective July 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Ohio state pay plan Sourced

Published rates for each class, lowest first, effective July 1, 2026. These are the ranges Ohio sets for its own state employees; cities, counties and school districts have their own pay plans.

Class and gradePublished rate
Assistant Public Defender
Class 63891
Grade 13
$36.75 – $52.27 a hour
$76,440 – $108,722 a year
8 steps
  • Step 1: $36.75 a hour
  • Step 2: $38.75 a hour
  • Step 3: $40.87 a hour
  • Step 4: $43.07 a hour
  • Step 5: $45.50 a hour
  • Step 6: $47.95 a hour
  • Step 7: $49.92 a hour
  • Step 8: $52.27 a hour

Schedule: E1 Exempt Pay Range Schedule (Rates Effective July 2026). Rates are as the plan publishes them; "a year" figures are conversions (hourly × 2,080). Classes are matched to this job by title (GovJobsWiki editorial rule).

Source: Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Classification & Compensation, Ohio State Classification Plan — Pay Range Booklet and Pay Range Schedules (rates effective July 2026). Data captured September 30, 2026.

Pay in Ohio, all employers Sourced

Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) in Ohio, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.

MeasureOH
Workers19,950
10th percentile$69,790
Median$131,020
90th percentile$269,530
National median, government employers$134,680

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Free practice tests for Ohio

Source: Open Exam Prep, Open Exam Prep free practice tests. Data captured October 1, 2026. Each link was opened and its exam title checked on the date shown.

More about this job

Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Public Defender page.

Public Defender in other states

ArkansasIowaMaryland