Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates in the Charleston-North Charleston Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pay in Charleston-North Charleston, SC at a median of $98,120 per year ($47.17/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $153,990, the metro estimate is 36% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 80 judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates are employed across the Charleston-North Charleston MSA in SOC 23-1023.

The Charleston-North Charleston pay distribution spans from $28,850 at the 10th percentile to $211,840 at the 90th, a 7.3× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $64,960 and the 75th at $120,330, so half of Charleston-North Charleston-based judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Charleston-North Charleston, SC covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide SC estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.