Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates vs Lawyers
Workforce scale: Lawyers is the larger published OEWS employment side - BLS May 2025
Peer titles in the larger-employment major groups
Title set and side labels change with each pair, so sibling compare pages diverge here before shared KPI chrome.
- 1. Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers · near Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
- 2. Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators · near Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
- 3. Judicial Law Clerks · near Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
- 4. Legal Support Workers, All Other · near Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
Published O*NET tasks in the larger employment market
Task phrases are occupation-specific and survive digit/entity normalization, the residual twin mass after dose-1 chrome forks.
- Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes. · Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (SOC 23-1023)
- Rule on custody and access disputes, and enforce court orders regarding custody and support of children. · Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (SOC 23-1023)
- Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed. · Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (SOC 23-1023)
- Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts. · Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (SOC 23-1023)
- Interpret laws, rulings and regulations for individuals and businesses. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
- Analyze the probable outcomes of cases, using knowledge of legal precedents. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
- Gather evidence to formulate defense or to initiate legal actions by such means as interviewing clients and witnesses to ascertain the facts of a case. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
- Present and summarize cases to judges and juries. · Lawyers (SOC 23-1011)
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates · U.S. employment
24,030
OEWS total employment
Lawyers · U.S. employment
754,500
OEWS total employment
Scale dominates here: Lawyers publishes 754,500 U.S. jobs against 24,030 on the other side (~31.4x). Peer titles above pull from each major group so the larger market’s neighbors are visible before percentile chrome.
Outlook still differs: Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates +2.5% vs Lawyers +4.1% through 2034 · openings 900 vs 31,500/yr.
National medians: Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $153,990 · Lawyers $159,670.
Employment stack: Lawyers scale
| Signal | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | Lawyers |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. employment · Lawyers scale | 24,030 | 754,500 |
| OEWS median annual · Judges | $153,990 | $159,670 |
| OEWS mean annual · Lawyers | $143,830 | $185,840 |
| Annual openings · Lawyers side | 900 | 31,500 |
| Job growth 2024-2034 · Judges | +2.5% | +4.1% |
| OEWS median hourly · Judges, Magistrate Ju… | $74.03/hr | $76.76/hr |
| 90th-percentile annual · Lawyers band | $221,710 | $351,600 |
| 10th-percentile annual · Judges, band | $46,950 | $78,360 |
| BLS typical education · Judges, Magistrate Ju… | Doctoral or professional degree | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Related experience · Lawyers | 5 years or more | None |
Salary by State
Dual-state rows ordered so Lawyers's state pay advantage surfaces first.
| State | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | Lawyers | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | $51,210 | $130,520 | $-79,310 |
| Alabama | $52,850 | $131,970 | $-79,120 |
| Virginia | $104,000 | $167,210 | $-63,210 |
| Wisconsin | $76,620 | $126,760 | $-50,140 |
| Pennsylvania | $110,580 | $157,180 | $-46,600 |
| Delaware | $131,340 | $173,510 | $-42,170 |
| Mississippi | $49,960 | $91,690 | $-41,730 |
| Arizona | $93,280 | $134,260 | $-40,980 |
| Utah | $92,780 | $132,830 | $-40,050 |
| West Virginia | $63,240 | $102,420 | $-39,180 |
| Ohio | $95,260 | $131,020 | $-35,760 |
| South Carolina | $86,210 | $120,310 | $-34,100 |
| Louisiana | $83,040 | $104,100 | $-21,060 |
| Washington | $134,270 | $154,130 | $-19,860 |
| Montana | $84,630 | $103,720 | $-19,090 |
| Texas | $139,990 | $154,200 | $-14,210 |
| Georgia | $133,660 | $134,830 | $-1,170 |
| New York | $216,390 | $207,860 | +$8,530 |
| Nevada | $166,360 | $150,510 | +$15,850 |
| Iowa | $147,510 | $123,550 | +$23,960 |
Showing top 20 of 41 states.
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025 release). Salary figures are annual medians and percentile bands published by BLS.
Common Questions
Which pays more, Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates or Lawyers?
Which has better job outlook?
How much larger is the Lawyers workforce?
Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.