23 Series · SOC 23-1022
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $75,530
- Median / year
- +11.5%
- 2024→2025
- $155,440
- Top 10% earn
- +4.3%
- Growth '24–'34
- 9,210
- Estimated US jobs
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators earn a median of $75,530 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $75,530, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $47,220 (10th percentile) to $155,440 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 9,210 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is Illinois ($162,410).
The pay verdict
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators earn a median of $75,530, putting them above the typical US occupation and higher than 67% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Legal, it ranks #4 of 8 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 4.3% by 2034.
- $75,530
- Median annual wage
- Top 33%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #4 of 8
- in Legal
- 3.3×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: Illinois at $162,410. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators moved from $63,930 in May 2019 to $75,530 in May 2025 (+18.1%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators sits -6.3 pp behind that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (SOC 23-1022) has a national median of $75,530 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $47,220 to $155,440, and the published mean is $91,010. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 9,210 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 24 state or territory areas and 33 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $67,710 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $75,530 in May 2025, a rise of $7,820 (+11.5%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +4.3% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as about as fast as average relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 300 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category, and BLS classifies its typical on-the-job preparation as moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Legal Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. Illinois pays the highest state median at $162,410, which is +115% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $129,180. The observed difference does not identify its cause. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
$75,530
per year
Median Hourly
$36.31/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$91,010
average
Employment
9,210
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$75,530 Top 33% higher than 67% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
| Band | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $0–$20,000 | 0 US occupations | 0% |
| $20,000–$40,000 | 98 US occupations | 12% |
| $40,000–$60,000 | 298 US occupations | 36% |
| $60,000–$80,000 (this entry) | 209 US occupations | 25% |
| $80,000–$100,000 | 82 US occupations | 10% |
| $100,000–$120,000 | 58 US occupations | 7% |
| $120,000–$140,000 | 32 US occupations | 4% |
| $140,000–$160,000 | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$75,530 · 67th percentile of 825 US occupations
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 23-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Lawyers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.1%, Median annual wage $159670
- Paralegals and Legal…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.2%, Median annual wage $62890
- Title Examiners, Abs…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2%, Median annual wage $58650
- Legal Support Worker…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.2%, Median annual wage $72110
- Judges, Magistrate J…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.5%, Median annual wage $153990
- Administrative Law J…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.7%, Median annual wage $117860
- Judicial Law Clerks: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.5%, Median annual wage $64920
- Arbitrators, Mediato…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.3%, Median annual wage $75530
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+4.3%
About as fast as average
Annual Openings
300
per year (projected)
Employment Change
+400
9,100 (2024) → 9,500 (2034)
Typical Education
Bachelor's degree
Work Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-Job Training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Legal Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
0.2/100K
Injury Rate
0.2/100
Danger Index
0.9/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Prepare written opinions or decisions regarding cases.
- ▸ Apply relevant laws, regulations, policies, or precedents to reach conclusions.
- ▸ Conduct hearings to obtain information or evidence relative to disposition of claims.
- ▸ Determine extent of liability according to evidence, laws, or administrative or judicial precedents.
- ▸ Rule on exceptions, motions, or admissibility of evidence.
- ▸ Confer with disputants to clarify issues, identify underlying concerns, and develop an understanding of their respective needs and interests.
- ▸ Use mediation techniques to facilitate communication between disputants, to further parties' understanding of different perspectives, and to guide parties toward mutual agreement.
- ▸ Conduct initial meetings with disputants to outline the arbitration process, settle procedural matters, such as fees, or determine details, such as witness numbers or time requirements.
- ▸ Evaluate information from documents, such as claim applications, birth or death certificates, or physician or employer records.
- ▸ Research laws, regulations, policies, or precedent decisions to prepare for hearings.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators pay history, 2015–2025
Published national median across 11 BLS OEWS releases. Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.
Read the chart as text
| Period | National median |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $58,020 |
| 2016 | $59,770 |
| 2017 | $60,670 |
| 2018 | $62,270 |
| 2019 | $63,930 |
| 2020 | $66,130 |
| 2021 | $49,410 |
| 2022 | $64,030 |
| 2023 | $71,540 |
| 2024 | $67,710 |
| 2025 | $75,530 |
2015 median
$58,020
2025 median
$75,530
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$11,600 (+18.1%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+2.8%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $58,020 | First banked release | 6,380 |
| May 2016 | $59,770 | +3.0% | 6,300 |
| May 2017 | $60,670 | +1.5% | 6,110 |
| May 2018 | $62,270 | +2.6% | 6,240 |
| May 2019 | $63,930 | Classification break | 6,090 |
| May 2020 | $66,130 | +3.4% | 5,810 |
| May 2021 | $49,410 | -25.3% | 7,320 |
| May 2022 | $64,030 | +29.6% | 7,780 |
| May 2023 | $71,540 | +11.7% | 7,060 |
| May 2024 | $67,710 | -5.4% | 7,860 |
| May 2025 | $75,530 | +11.5% | 9,210 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $58,020 in May 2015 to $75,530 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +2.8% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 6,090 in May 2019 to 9,210 in May 2025.
Each figure is a separate BLS survey estimate, so a change between releases reflects the estimated occupation-wide median in each year. It is not the raise any individual worker received, and it is not adjusted for inflation. Years where BLS did not publish an annual median for this occupation are omitted rather than filled in. This span also crosses a classification change: releases before May 2019 use the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification and later releases use the 2018 SOC, so figures either side of that boundary are not strictly like-for-like. Headline change rates on this page use only the same-classification subset.
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
Lowest Paying States
View all 24 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $162,410 | +115% above national |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $110,300 | +46% above national |
| 3 | New Mexico | $110,180 | +46% above national |
| 4 | California | $97,680 | +29% above national |
| 5 | Colorado | $82,590 | +9% above national |
| 6 | Arizona | $82,150 | +9% above national |
| 7 | Virginia | $79,530 | +5% above national |
| 8 | Alabama | $76,810 | +2% above national |
| 9 | Michigan | $76,270 | +1% above national |
| 10 | North Carolina | $75,320 | same as national |
| 11 | New York | $70,800 | 6% below national |
| 12 | Ohio | $68,790 | 9% below national |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $67,890 | 10% below national |
| 14 | Montana | $64,980 | 14% below national |
| 15 | Kansas | $64,970 | 14% below national |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $63,770 | 16% below national |
| 17 | Tennessee | $62,140 | 18% below national |
| 18 | South Carolina | $58,990 | 22% below national |
| 19 | Maryland | $58,890 | 22% below national |
| 20 | Indiana | $57,390 | 24% below national |
| 21 | Puerto Rico | $50,960 | 33% below national |
| 22 | Texas | $50,940 | 33% below national |
| 23 | Louisiana | $46,100 | 39% below national |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $36,780 | 51% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 33 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $129,180 | +71% above national |
| 2 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $112,620 | +49% above national |
| 3 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $109,920 | +46% above national |
| 4 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $108,570 | +44% above national |
| 5 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $108,150 | +43% above national |
| 6 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $106,910 | +42% above national |
| 7 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $105,430 | +40% above national |
| 8 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $105,190 | +39% above national |
| 9 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $101,990 | +35% above national |
| 10 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $100,770 | +33% above national |
| 11 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $98,760 | +31% above national |
| 12 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $92,000 | +22% above national |
| 13 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $87,370 | +16% above national |
| 14 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $84,460 | +12% above national |
| 15 | Fresno, CA | $82,780 | +10% above national |
| 16 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $82,150 | +9% above national |
| 17 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $81,860 | +8% above national |
| 18 | Richmond, VA | $81,790 | +8% above national |
| 19 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $79,730 | +6% above national |
| 20 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $77,430 | +3% above national |
| 21 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $76,270 | +1% above national |
| 22 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $75,200 | same as national |
| 23 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $74,520 | 1% below national |
| 24 | Pittsburgh, PA | $65,590 | 13% below national |
| 25 | Madison, WI | $63,940 | 15% below national |
| 26 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $60,410 | 20% below national |
| 27 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $57,500 | 24% below national |
| 28 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $57,360 | 24% below national |
| 29 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $57,160 | 24% below national |
| 30 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $56,340 | 25% below national |
| 31 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $55,310 | 27% below national |
| 32 | San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $50,960 | 33% below national |
| 33 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $49,110 | 35% below national |
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 23 (Legal Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
SOC 23-1021
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
SOC 23-1023
Judicial Law Clerks
SOC 23-1012
Lawyers
SOC 23-1011
Legal Support Workers, All Other
SOC 23-2099
Showing 5 of 7 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Legal Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay ($75,530 here) and reported employment (9,210 jobs here).
Similar median pay
Nearest other detailed occupations by BLS OEWS national median annual wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators make? ▼
Where does Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators the most? ▼
What education do Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators? ▼
Is Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators a good career? ▼
How does Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $108,000/year. Treat it as the upper-quartile market boundary, not an automatic target for experience alone; role scope, location, industry, credentials, performance, and employer context still need separate evidence. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: Illinois leads at $162,410/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.