Legal Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 23-1023

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

The published band from $46,950 to $221,710 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates: Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers ($118K) , Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers ($59K) , Paralegals and Legal Assistants ($63K) , Judicial Law Clerks ($65K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 23-1023 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes
  2. 2. Rule on custody and access disputes, and enforce court orders regarding custody and support of children
  3. 3. Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed
  4. 4. Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts
  5. 5. Write decisions on cases
  6. 6. Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues
  7. 7. Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony
  8. 8. Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges
  9. 9. Award compensation for damages to litigants in civil cases in relation to findings by juries or by the court
  10. 10. Conduct preliminary hearings to decide issues, such as whether there is reasonable and probable cause to hold defendants in felony cases
  11. 11. Advise attorneys, juries, litigants, and court personnel regarding conduct, issues, and proceedings
  12. 12. Research legal issues and write opinions on the issues

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 23-1023 - lead skill Active Listening at 5.0 ; lead knowledge Law and Government. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 5.0
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 4.9
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 4.3
  4. 4. Judgment and Decision Making 4.3
  5. 5. Writing 4.1
  6. 6. Speaking 4.1
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 4.1
  8. 8. Active Learning 4.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Law and Government 4.9
  2. 2. English Language 4.5
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.6
  4. 4. Psychology 3.4
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.3
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 3.1
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$46,950 to $221,710
median $153,990 · ~4.7× spread
$154K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
900
Annual openings
24,030
Estimated US jobs
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
Highest-pay peer · $118K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Doctoral or professional degree
Related experience 5 years or more

Top Paying States for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

1. New York $216,390
2. Connecticut $217,760
3. Colorado $198,790
4. New Mexico $205,400
5. Nebraska $208,180
6. Rhode Island $239,760
7. New Jersey $204,160
8. Hawaii $211,810
9. Tennessee $208,350
10. Massachusetts $221,710

Other Legal Occupations titles

  1. 1. Paralegals and Legal Assistants $62,890
  2. 2. Judicial Law Clerks $64,920
  3. 3. Legal Support Workers, All Other $72,110
  4. 4. Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers $58,650
  5. 5. Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators $75,530
  6. 6. Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers $117,860

The OEWS band for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates runs from $46,950 (10th) to $221,710 (90th), about 4.7× wide, with median $153,990. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry and 5 years or more as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New York at $216,390. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers at $117,860. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pay-rank #2 in Legal Occupations

Among 8 detailed Legal Occupations with a published OEWS median, Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is pay-rank #2, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 23-1023 · national median $153,990 · upper third of Legal Occupations (#2/8). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 23-1023

New York · top state for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

$216K published median

Connecticut · #2 state pay

$218K · behind New York

Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

Highest-pay peer vs Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates · $118K

Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

Lower-pay peer beside Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates · $59K

Compare Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Legal Occupations titles sit near Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates at the top of the pay table? ▼
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is pay-rank #2 of 8 detailed Legal Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Lawyers ($160K), Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers ($118K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates. Leading ones include: Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes; Rule on custody and access disputes, and enforce court orders regarding custody and support of children; Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed; Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates? ▼
For SOC 23-1023, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (5.0), Critical Thinking (4.9), Reading Comprehension (4.3), Judgment and Decision Making (4.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Law and Government, English Language, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $46,950 and the 90th at $221,710 for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (4.7× spread). The national median is $153,990. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates? ▼
BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates. Related-work-experience category: 5 years or more. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates? ▼
New York ($216,390), Connecticut ($217,760), Colorado ($198,790) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 23-1023. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics