Using the empirical magnetospheric magnetic fields models of Tsyganenko and Usmanov (TU), we have determined the self-consistent plasma pressure gradients and anisotropies along the midnight meridian in the near-Earth magnetosphere. By ''inverting'' the magnetic field, we determine what distributions of an anisotropic plasma, confined within the specified magnetic field configuration, are consistent with the magnetohydrostatic equilibrium condition, J¿B=∇⋅P. The TU model, parameterized for different levels of geomagnetic activity by the Kp index, provided the magnetic field values from which J¿B was numerically evaluated. A best fit solution was found that minimized the average difference between J¿B and ∇⋅P along an entire flux tube. Unlike previous semi-empirical models, the TU models contain magnetic stresses that can be balanced by a nearly isotropic plasma pressure with a reasonable radial gradient at the equator. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1987