23 Series · SOC 23-1023
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $153,990
- Median / year
- -1.4%
- 2024→2025
- $221,710
- Top 10% earn
- +2.5%
- Growth '24–'34
- 24,030
- Estimated US jobs
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates earn a median of $153,990 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $153,990, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $46,950 (10th percentile) to $221,710 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 24,030 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is Rhode Island ($239,760).
The pay verdict
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates earn a median of $153,990, putting them among the better-paid US occupations and higher than 96% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Legal, it ranks #2 of 8 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 2.5% by 2034.
- $153,990
- Median annual wage
- Top 4%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #2 of 8
- in Legal
- 4.7×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: Rhode Island at $239,760. Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates moved from $136,910 in May 2019 to $153,990 in May 2025 (+12.5%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates sits -12.0 pp behind that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (SOC 23-1023) has a national median of $153,990 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $46,950 to $221,710, and the published mean is $143,830. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 24,030 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 41 state or territory areas and 150 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $156,210 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $153,990 in May 2025, a fall of $2,220 (-1.4%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +2.5% 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 900 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns Doctoral or professional degree as typical education needed for entry and 5 years or more as the typical related-work-experience category, and BLS classifies its typical on-the-job preparation as short-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. Rhode Island pays the highest state median at $239,760, which is +56% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is Providence-Warwick, RI-MA at $229,760. 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
$153,990
per year
Median Hourly
$74.03/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$143,830
average
Employment
24,030
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$153,990 Top 4% higher than 96% 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 | 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 (this entry) | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$153,990 · 96th 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 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates; 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
+2.5%
About as fast as average
Annual Openings
900
per year (projected)
Employment Change
+700
27,300 (2024) → 28,000 (2034)
Typical Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Work Experience
5 years or more
On-the-Job Training
Short-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 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ 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.
- ▸ Write decisions on cases.
- ▸ Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues.
- ▸ Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.
- ▸ Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges.
- ▸ Award compensation for damages to litigants in civil cases in relation to findings by juries or by the court.
- ▸ Conduct preliminary hearings to decide issues, such as whether there is reasonable and probable cause to hold defendants in felony cases.
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
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates 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 | $126,930 |
| 2016 | $125,880 |
| 2017 | $133,840 |
| 2018 | $133,920 |
| 2019 | $136,910 |
| 2020 | $141,080 |
| 2021 | $148,030 |
| 2022 | $151,030 |
| 2023 | $148,910 |
| 2024 | $156,210 |
| 2025 | $153,990 |
2015 median
$126,930
2025 median
$153,990
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$17,080 (+12.5%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+2%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $126,930 | First banked release | 29,020 |
| May 2016 | $125,880 | -0.8% | 27,210 |
| May 2017 | $133,840 | +6.3% | 28,440 |
| May 2018 | $133,920 | +0.1% | 28,520 |
| May 2019 | $136,910 | Classification break | 28,670 |
| May 2020 | $141,080 | +3.0% | 28,550 |
| May 2021 | $148,030 | +4.9% | 27,790 |
| May 2022 | $151,030 | +2.0% | 28,230 |
| May 2023 | $148,910 | -1.4% | 24,470 |
| May 2024 | $156,210 | +4.9% | 25,580 |
| May 2025 | $153,990 | -1.4% | 24,030 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $126,930 in May 2015 to $153,990 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +2% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 28,670 in May 2019 to 24,030 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
View all 41 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $239,760 | +56% above national |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $221,710 | +44% above national |
| 3 | Connecticut | $217,760 | +41% above national |
| 4 | New York | $216,390 | +41% above national |
| 5 | Hawaii | $211,810 | +38% above national |
| 6 | Tennessee | $208,350 | +35% above national |
| 7 | Nebraska | $208,180 | +35% above national |
| 8 | New Mexico | $205,400 | +33% above national |
| 9 | New Jersey | $204,160 | +33% above national |
| 10 | Colorado | $198,790 | +29% above national |
| 11 | Vermont | $194,170 | +26% above national |
| 12 | Minnesota | $190,110 | +23% above national |
| 13 | Florida | $186,040 | +21% above national |
| 14 | Alaska | $183,310 | +19% above national |
| 15 | Indiana | $183,000 | +19% above national |
| 16 | Idaho | $172,920 | +12% above national |
| 17 | Maryland | $172,190 | +12% above national |
| 18 | North Dakota | $171,100 | +11% above national |
| 19 | Oregon | $166,400 | +8% above national |
| 20 | Nevada | $166,360 | +8% above national |
| 21 | Maine | $161,470 | +5% above national |
| 22 | Kentucky | $150,650 | 2% below national |
| 23 | Kansas | $148,910 | 3% below national |
| 24 | Iowa | $147,510 | 4% below national |
| 25 | Texas | $139,990 | 9% below national |
| 26 | Washington | $134,270 | 13% below national |
| 27 | Georgia | $133,660 | 13% below national |
| 28 | Delaware | $131,340 | 15% below national |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $110,580 | 28% below national |
| 30 | Virginia | $104,000 | 32% below national |
| 31 | Ohio | $95,260 | 38% below national |
| 32 | Arizona | $93,280 | 39% below national |
| 33 | Utah | $92,780 | 40% below national |
| 34 | South Carolina | $86,210 | 44% below national |
| 35 | Montana | $84,630 | 45% below national |
| 36 | Louisiana | $83,040 | 46% below national |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $76,620 | 50% below national |
| 38 | West Virginia | $63,240 | 59% below national |
| 39 | Alabama | $52,850 | 66% below national |
| 40 | Michigan | $51,210 | 67% below national |
| 41 | Mississippi | $49,960 | 68% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 98 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $229,760 | +49% above national |
| 2 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $228,330 | +48% above national |
| 3 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $221,710 | +44% above national |
| 4 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $218,190 | +42% above national |
| 5 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $217,760 | +41% above national |
| 6 | Albuquerque, NM | $216,220 | +40% above national |
| 7 | Lincoln, NE | $208,180 | +35% above national |
| 8 | Omaha, NE-IA | $208,180 | +35% above national |
| 9 | Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $204,160 | +33% above national |
| 10 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $204,160 | +33% above national |
| 11 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $204,160 | +33% above national |
| 12 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $204,160 | +33% above national |
| 13 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $198,790 | +29% above national |
| 14 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $196,890 | +28% above national |
| 15 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $196,890 | +28% above national |
| 16 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $191,320 | +24% above national |
| 17 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $190,690 | +24% above national |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO | $190,230 | +24% above national |
| 19 | Greeley, CO | $190,230 | +24% above national |
| 20 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $186,580 | +21% above national |
| 21 | Evansville, IN | $183,000 | +19% above national |
| 22 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $183,000 | +19% above national |
| 23 | Gainesville, FL | $178,950 | +16% above national |
| 24 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $178,260 | +16% above national |
| 25 | Glens Falls, NY | $177,840 | +15% above national |
| 26 | Utica-Rome, NY | $176,500 | +15% above national |
| 27 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $176,450 | +15% above national |
| 28 | Port St. Lucie, FL | $175,430 | +14% above national |
| 29 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL | $175,020 | +14% above national |
| 30 | Rochester, NY | $174,940 | +14% above national |
| 31 | Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $174,730 | +13% above national |
| 32 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $174,250 | +13% above national |
| 33 | Jacksonville, FL | $173,920 | +13% above national |
| 34 | Tallahassee, FL | $173,370 | +13% above national |
| 35 | Boise City, ID | $172,920 | +12% above national |
| 36 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $172,410 | +12% above national |
| 37 | Syracuse, NY | $172,270 | +12% above national |
| 38 | Binghamton, NY | $165,900 | +8% above national |
| 39 | Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $161,490 | +5% above national |
| 40 | Fort Wayne, IN | $159,620 | +4% above national |
| 41 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $156,550 | +2% above national |
| 42 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $153,990 | same as national |
| 43 | Topeka, KS | $148,910 | 3% below national |
| 44 | Wichita, KS | $148,910 | 3% below national |
| 45 | Knoxville, TN | $148,580 | 4% below national |
| 46 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $147,510 | 4% below national |
| 47 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $146,400 | 5% below national |
| 48 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $145,860 | 5% below national |
| 49 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $144,790 | 6% below national |
| 50 | Gainesville, GA | $144,790 | 6% below national |
| 51 | Corpus Christi, TX | $140,090 | 9% below national |
| 52 | Lubbock, TX | $139,870 | 9% below national |
| 53 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $135,430 | 12% below national |
| 54 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $135,180 | 12% below national |
| 55 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | $132,550 | 14% below national |
| 56 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $124,870 | 19% below national |
| 57 | Spartanburg, SC | $122,990 | 20% below national |
| 58 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $122,750 | 20% below national |
| 59 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $114,400 | 26% below national |
| 60 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $114,120 | 26% below national |
| 61 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $114,120 | 26% below national |
| 62 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $113,440 | 26% below national |
| 63 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | $107,670 | 30% below national |
| 64 | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | $107,180 | 30% below national |
| 65 | Youngstown-Warren, OH | $106,170 | 31% below national |
| 66 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | $104,760 | 32% below national |
| 67 | Charlottesville, VA | $104,000 | 32% below national |
| 68 | Columbus, OH | $104,000 | 32% below national |
| 69 | Lynchburg, VA | $104,000 | 32% below national |
| 70 | Richmond, VA | $104,000 | 32% below national |
| 71 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $104,000 | 32% below national |
| 72 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $104,000 | 32% below national |
| 73 | Charleston, WV | $103,940 | 33% below national |
| 74 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $99,400 | 35% below national |
| 75 | Canton-Massillon, OH | $98,790 | 36% below national |
| 76 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $98,120 | 36% below national |
| 77 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $95,020 | 38% below national |
| 78 | Columbia, SC | $94,400 | 39% below national |
| 79 | Roanoke, VA | $91,000 | 41% below national |
| 80 | Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | $89,990 | 42% below national |
| 81 | Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | $89,990 | 42% below national |
| 82 | Tucson, AZ | $89,990 | 42% below national |
| 83 | Florence, SC | $86,860 | 44% below national |
| 84 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $85,260 | 45% below national |
| 85 | Cleveland, OH | $80,020 | 48% below national |
| 86 | Texarkana, TX-AR | $78,630 | 49% below national |
| 87 | Jackson, MS | $78,050 | 49% below national |
| 88 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $72,610 | 53% below national |
| 89 | Akron, OH | $68,760 | 55% below national |
| 90 | Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | $63,240 | 59% below national |
| 91 | Birmingham, AL | $57,260 | 63% below national |
| 92 | Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | $57,220 | 63% below national |
| 93 | Mobile, AL | $57,160 | 63% below national |
| 94 | Montgomery, AL | $56,630 | 63% below national |
| 95 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $55,000 | 64% below national |
| 96 | Dothan, AL | $48,930 | 68% below national |
| 97 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $48,110 | 69% below national |
| 98 | Tuscaloosa, AL | $46,930 | 70% 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
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators
SOC 23-1022
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 ($153,990 here) and reported employment (24,030 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 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates make? ▼
Where does Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates the most? ▼
What education do Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates? ▼
Is Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates a good career? ▼
How does Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $194,950/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: Rhode Island leads at $239,760/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.