Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers vs Lawyers

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

Lawyers

$151,160

median annual salary

Lawyers earns $35,930 more per year (24% higher)

Salary & Career Comparison

Metric Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Lawyers
Median Salary $115,230 $151,160
Median Hourly $55.40/hr $72.67/hr
Mean Salary $122,620 $182,760
10th Percentile $56,970 $72,780
90th Percentile $203,990 N/A
Total Employment 16,230 747,750
Job Growth (2023–2033) -0.7% +4.1%
Annual Openings 0.5 31.5
Education Doctoral or professional degree Doctoral or professional degree
Work Experience 5 years or more None

Salary by State

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

State Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Lawyers Difference
Oklahoma $124,090 $98,870 +$25,220
Alabama $149,760 $127,660 +$22,100
Nebraska $120,640 $104,970 +$15,670
Kansas $126,570 $112,000 +$14,570
Indiana $143,850 $130,120 +$13,730
Louisiana $124,090 $112,600 +$11,490
Wisconsin $129,750 $119,970 +$9,780
Iowa $116,820 $107,870 +$8,950
Missouri $127,070 $124,210 +$2,860
West Virginia $103,840 $102,240 +$1,600
Michigan $125,420 $126,600 $-1,180
Minnesota $135,050 $137,720 $-2,670
North Carolina $115,090 $124,880 $-9,790
District of Columbia $181,060 $191,880 $-10,820
Florida $113,730 $127,810 $-14,080
South Carolina $89,630 $104,160 $-14,530
Arizona $118,810 $133,360 $-14,550
Maryland $127,120 $143,490 $-16,370
Mississippi $75,540 $92,610 $-17,070
Hawaii $98,630 $116,010 $-17,380

Showing top 20 of 43 states.

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Common Questions

Which pays more, Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers or Lawyers?
Lawyers pays more, with a median annual salary of $151,160 compared to $115,230 — a difference of $35,930 per year.
Which has better job outlook?
Lawyers has faster projected growth at 4.1% 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.