Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers vs Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

Side-by-side salary and career comparison using Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

$115,230

median annual salary

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

$156,210

median annual salary

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates earns $40,980 more per year (26% higher)

Salary & Career Comparison

Metric Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
Median Salary $115,230 $156,210
Median Hourly $55.40/hr $75.10/hr
Mean Salary $122,620 $143,110
10th Percentile $56,970 $46,520
90th Percentile $203,990 $216,540
Total Employment 16,230 25,580
Job Growth (2023–2033) -0.7% +2.5%
Annual Openings 0.5 0.9
Education Doctoral or professional degree Doctoral or professional degree
Work Experience 5 years or more 5 years or more

Salary by State

States where both occupations have reported wage data, sorted by salary difference.

State Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Difference
Alabama $149,760 $50,950 +$98,810
Michigan $125,420 $51,250 +$74,170
Louisiana $124,090 $70,610 +$53,480
Wisconsin $129,750 $83,620 +$46,130
West Virginia $103,840 $63,240 +$40,600
Mississippi $75,540 $49,900 +$25,640
Montana $77,560 $63,260 +$14,300
South Carolina $89,630 $84,270 +$5,360
Washington $121,850 $131,740 $-9,890
Virginia $93,680 $104,000 $-10,320
Utah $103,790 $123,640 $-19,850
Puerto Rico $75,110 $95,570 $-20,460
Ohio $75,250 $97,260 $-22,010
Kansas $126,570 $148,910 $-22,340
Missouri $127,070 $156,210 $-29,140
Indiana $143,850 $177,180 $-33,330
Nevada $85,310 $118,690 $-33,380
Texas $103,400 $139,990 $-36,590
Minnesota $135,050 $182,790 $-47,740
Maryland $127,120 $181,320 $-54,200

Showing top 20 of 35 states.

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Common Questions

Which pays more, Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers or Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates?
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pays more, with a median annual salary of $156,210 compared to $115,230 — a difference of $40,980 per year.
Which has better job outlook?
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates has faster projected growth at 2.5% from 2023 to 2033, compared to -0.7% for Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers.
Where does this data come from?
All salary data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. Job outlook data comes from the BLS Employment Projections program covering 2023-2033.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024.