Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
Median $117,860
Occupation · SOC 23-1023
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates: pay and where the jobs are
What judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$153,990 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $143,830
- Median hourly wage
- $74.03
- Mean hourly wage
- $69.15
- Employment
- 24,030
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 23-1023.
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See where your pay falls among judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates make?
The median annual wage for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates was $153,990 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,950 and the highest-paid 10% more than $221,710. As an hourly rate, the median is $74.03. About 24,030 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Rhode Island ($239,760), Massachusetts ($221,710) and Connecticut ($217,760). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Tennessee.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,950 | $22.57 | $3,913 | $3,325 |
| 25th percentile | $85,710 | $41.21 | $7,143 | $5,761 |
| Median | $153,990 | $74.03 | $12,833 | $9,710 |
| 75th percentile | $194,950 | $93.73 | $16,246 | $12,043 |
| 90th percentile | $221,710 | $106.59 | $18,476 | $13,541 |
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates: pay by state
41 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$167,272 take-home in national prices
2
$160,887 take-home in national prices
3
$158,435 take-home in national prices
Where a median judges, magistrate judges, and magistrate paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 120 | $239,760 | $81,690 | $271,090 | $162,047 | $158,435 |
| Massachusetts | 610 | $221,710 | $155,450 | $221,710 | $150,784 | $142,576 |
| Connecticut | 230 | $217,760 | $114,380 | $217,760 | $147,278 | $142,147 |
| New York | 2,270 | $216,390 | $166,930 | $232,590 | $146,999 | $136,210 |
| Hawaii | 120 | $211,810 | $205,300 | $217,110 | $141,024 | $128,261 |
| Tennessee | 420 | $208,350 | $64,300 | $221,470 | $153,673 | $167,272 |
| Nebraska | 160 | $208,180 | $202,550 | $213,800 | $144,964 | $160,887 |
| New Mexico | 250 | $205,400 | $76,260 | $218,030 | $142,923 | $154,994 |
| New Jersey | 920 | $204,160 | $56,290 | $215,540 | $139,085 | $127,830 |
| Colorado | 620 | $198,790 | $170,080 | $219,580 | $138,289 | $134,193 |
| Vermont | 80 | $194,170 | $57,730 | $194,170 | $133,086 | $135,861 |
| Minnesota | 590 | $190,110 | $117,520 | $190,110 | $128,302 | $130,096 |
| Florida | 1,380 | $186,040 | $171,860 | $220,410 | $138,424 | $133,855 |
| Alaska | 140 | $183,310 | $82,160 | $221,220 | $136,287 | $133,146 |
| Indiana | 790 | $183,000 | $58,960 | $183,000 | $130,978 | $140,340 |
| Idaho | 250 | $172,920 | $79,180 | $226,260 | $121,400 | $127,129 |
| Maryland | 170 | $172,190 | $53,210 | $204,420 | $120,664 | $114,963 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $171,100 | $58,040 | $175,960 | $126,136 | $141,791 |
| Oregon | 40 | $166,400 | $76,950 | $230,850 | $109,573 | $106,010 |
| Nevada | 90 | $166,360 | $57,220 | $227,870 | $124,973 | $124,999 |
| Maine | 100 | $161,470 | $55,760 | $165,110 | $110,413 | $113,769 |
| Kentucky | 370 | $150,650 | $98,230 | $156,550 | $109,080 | $120,986 |
| Kansas | 420 | $148,910 | $76,590 | $163,160 | $105,536 | $117,174 |
| Iowa | 410 | $147,510 | $45,470 | $173,670 | $107,136 | $122,075 |
| Texas | 2,770 | $139,990 | $31,380 | $184,790 | $106,949 | $110,192 |
| Washington | 1,040 | $134,270 | $112,360 | $239,740 | $101,177 | $94,546 |
| Georgia | 1,190 | $133,660 | $37,420 | $187,990 | $96,701 | $100,424 |
| Delaware | 120 | $131,340 | $93,490 | $211,350 | $93,184 | $93,363 |
| Pennsylvania | Not published | $110,580 | $110,580 | $110,580 | $83,151 | $85,220 |
| Virginia | 1,270 | $104,000 | $62,180 | $213,830 | $76,828 | $75,989 |
| Ohio | 1,720 | $95,260 | $38,330 | $210,440 | $73,662 | $79,400 |
| Arizona | 590 | $93,280 | $81,120 | $209,950 | $72,514 | $72,027 |
| Utah | 100 | $92,780 | $32,640 | $195,950 | $69,972 | $70,776 |
| South Carolina | 670 | $86,210 | $35,950 | $211,840 | $66,078 | $70,484 |
| Montana | 70 | $84,630 | $44,470 | $123,780 | $64,947 | $68,621 |
| Louisiana | 180 | $83,040 | $24,660 | $143,800 | $65,144 | $73,853 |
| Wisconsin | 130 | $76,620 | $27,380 | $175,880 | $59,692 | $63,439 |
| West Virginia | 350 | $63,240 | $63,240 | $138,590 | $50,986 | $56,970 |
| Alabama | 560 | $52,850 | $37,420 | $110,110 | $42,451 | $47,792 |
| Michigan | 570 | $51,210 | $45,720 | $181,280 | $41,402 | $43,029 |
| Mississippi | 360 | $49,960 | $27,510 | $165,240 | $41,056 | $47,217 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 23-1023. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.