Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (SOC 23-1023) earn a median $153,990 a year ($74.03 an hour) in the United States, with 24,030 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Rhode Island.
What judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates do
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates preside over proceedings in courts of law and decide legal questions and disputes. Typical tasks include monitoring proceedings to ensure that the applicable rules and procedures are followed, instructing juries on the applicable law and directing them to reach conclusions from the evidence, sentencing defendants in criminal cases after a conviction according to statutes or sentencing guidelines, and writing decisions on cases. In civil matters, they may determine liability and award compensation for damages, and they rule on the admissibility of evidence and the methods of conducting testimony. Some perform weddings. Appellate judges review the decisions of lower courts rather than hold trials. The occupation differs from lawyers, who advocate for clients, from administrative law judges and hearing officers in government agencies, from arbitrators and mediators, who resolve disputes privately, and from judicial law clerks, who assist judges. They also read pleadings and motions to establish the facts and issues and preside over hearings to decide whether the evidence supports the allegations.
Typical entry: According to O*NET, the most commonly reported education level is a doctoral degree.
Also called: Appellate Court Judge, Bankruptcy Judge, Administrative Court Justice, Appellate Immigration Judge, Ballot Processing Judge.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $22.57 | $41.21 | $74.03 | $93.73 | $106.59 | $69.15 | 24,030 |
| Annual | $46,950 | $85,710 | $153,990 | $194,950 | $221,710 | $143,830 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Rhode Island | Hourly | $39.27 | $103.36 | $115.27 | $122.57 | $130.33 | $102.81 | 120 | 0.24 | 1.53 |
| Annual | $81,690 | $214,990 | $239,760 | $254,950 | $271,090 | $213,840 | ||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $74.74 | $89.50 | $106.59 | $106.59 | $106.59 | $96.66 | 610 | 0.17 | 1.08 |
| Annual | $155,450 | $186,170 | $221,710 | $221,710 | $221,710 | $201,060 | ||||
| Connecticut | Hourly | $54.99 | $104.69 | $104.69 | $104.69 | $104.69 | $93.29 | 230 | 0.14 | 0.88 |
| Annual | $114,380 | $217,760 | $217,760 | $217,760 | $217,760 | $194,050 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $80.26 | $83.77 | $104.03 | $111.82 | $111.82 | $95.56 | 2,270 | 0.23 | 1.51 |
| Annual | $166,930 | $174,250 | $216,390 | $232,590 | $232,590 | $198,770 | ||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $98.70 | $98.70 | $101.83 | $104.38 | $104.38 | $102.42 | 120 | 0.19 | 1.22 |
| Annual | $205,300 | $205,300 | $211,810 | $217,110 | $217,110 | $213,030 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $15.09 | $39.52 | $67.30 | $80.76 | $88.84 | $61.49 | 2,770 | 0.20 | 1.27 |
| Annual | $31,380 | $82,190 | $139,990 | $167,990 | $184,790 | $127,900 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | $80.26 | $83.77 | $104.03 | $111.82 | $111.82 | $95.56 | 2,270 | 0.23 | 1.51 |
| Annual | $166,930 | $174,250 | $216,390 | $232,590 | $232,590 | $198,770 | ||||
| Ohio | Hourly | $18.43 | $25.20 | $45.80 | $66.00 | $101.18 | $52.64 | 1,720 | 0.31 | 2.01 |
| Annual | $38,330 | $52,410 | $95,260 | $137,280 | $210,440 | $109,500 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | $82.63 | $84.83 | $89.44 | $94.66 | $105.97 | $89.52 | 1,380 | 0.14 | 0.90 |
| Annual | $171,860 | $176,450 | $186,040 | $196,890 | $220,410 | $186,200 | ||||
| Virginia | Hourly | $29.89 | $33.14 | $50.00 | $92.52 | $102.80 | $60.19 | 1,270 | 0.31 | 2.00 |
| Annual | $62,180 | $68,940 | $104,000 | $192,440 | $213,830 | $125,190 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | Hourly | $43.91 | $92.97 | $110.46 | $122.19 | $130.33 | $101.63 | 150 | 0.21 | 1.36 |
| Annual | $91,330 | $193,390 | $229,760 | $254,160 | $271,090 | $211,390 | ||||
| Longview-Kelso, WA | Hourly | $54.87 | $59.09 | $109.78 | $109.78 | $109.78 | $94.51 | 40 | 1.05 | 6.79 |
| Annual | $114,120 | $122,910 | $228,330 | $228,330 | $228,330 | $196,580 | ||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $74.74 | $89.50 | $106.59 | $106.59 | $106.59 | $97.08 | 420 | 0.16 | 1.01 |
| Annual | $155,450 | $186,170 | $221,710 | $221,710 | $221,710 | $201,930 | ||||
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | Hourly | $54.73 | $97.12 | $104.90 | $104.90 | $108.65 | $94.55 | 200 | 0.18 | 1.19 |
| Annual | $113,830 | $202,010 | $218,190 | $218,190 | $225,980 | $196,660 | ||||
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | Hourly | $55.32 | $55.32 | $104.69 | $104.69 | $108.87 | $90.96 | 100 | 0.17 | 1.08 |
| Annual | $115,070 | $115,070 | $217,760 | $217,760 | $226,460 | $189,200 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $38.02 | $80.16 | $98.15 | $108.31 | $111.82 | $90.48 | 1,280 | 0.14 | 0.87 |
| Annual | $79,090 | $166,730 | $204,160 | $225,280 | $232,590 | $188,200 | ||||
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | Hourly | $66.06 | $67.30 | $74.03 | $80.76 | $80.76 | $71.90 | 710 | 0.55 | 3.53 |
| Annual | $137,410 | $139,990 | $153,990 | $167,990 | $167,990 | $149,540 | ||||
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | Hourly | $24.83 | $41.21 | $69.61 | $86.92 | $93.52 | $65.93 | 550 | 0.19 | 1.23 |
| Annual | $51,650 | $85,710 | $144,790 | $180,790 | $194,530 | $137,140 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $54.02 | $54.87 | $64.99 | $90.01 | $119.42 | $75.32 | 550 | 0.26 | 1.70 |
| Annual | $112,360 | $114,120 | $135,180 | $187,210 | $248,390 | $156,660 | ||||
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 490 | 0.70 | 4.55 |
| Annual | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
Top industries employing judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) employ 54.6% of judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates nationally (13,130 jobs) at a median $176,500 a year ($84.86 an hour), followed by Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) (45.4%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999200 | 13,130 | 54.6% | $176,500 | $84.86 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) NAICS 999300 | 10,900 | 45.4% | $102,460 | $49.26 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (24,030). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $148,030 for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in May 2021 and $153,990 in May 2025, with employment of 27,790 and 24,030.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $148,030 | $71.17 | 27,790 |
| May 2022 | $151,030 | $72.61 | 28,230 |
| May 2023 | $148,910 | $71.59 | 24,470 |
| May 2024 | $156,210 | $75.10 | 25,580 |
| May 2025 | $153,990 | $74.03 | 24,030 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
43 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island profile | $115.27 | $239,760 | $81,690 | $271,090 | 120 | 0.24 | 1.53 |
| 2 | Massachusetts profile | $106.59 | $221,710 | $155,450 | $221,710 | 610 | 0.17 | 1.08 |
| 3 | Connecticut profile | $104.69 | $217,760 | $114,380 | $217,760 | 230 | 0.14 | 0.88 |
| 4 | New York profile | $104.03 | $216,390 | $166,930 | $232,590 | 2,270 | 0.23 | 1.51 |
| 5 | Hawaii profile | $101.83 | $211,810 | $205,300 | $217,110 | 120 | 0.19 | 1.22 |
| 6 | Tennessee profile | $100.17 | $208,350 | $64,300 | $221,470 | 420 | 0.13 | 0.83 |
| 7 | Nebraska profile | $100.09 | $208,180 | $202,550 | $213,800 | 160 | 0.16 | 1.03 |
| 8 | New Mexico profile | $98.75 | $205,400 | $76,260 | $218,030 | 250 | 0.28 | 1.83 |
| 9 | New Jersey profile | $98.15 | $204,160 | $56,290 | $215,540 | 920 | 0.22 | 1.39 |
| 10 | Colorado profile | $95.57 | $198,790 | $170,080 | $219,580 | 620 | 0.22 | 1.39 |
| 11 | Vermont profile | $93.35 | $194,170 | $57,730 | $194,170 | 80 | 0.27 | 1.71 |
| 12 | Minnesota profile | $91.40 | $190,110 | $117,520 | $190,110 | 590 | 0.20 | 1.30 |
| 13 | Florida profile | $89.44 | $186,040 | $171,860 | $220,410 | 1,380 | 0.14 | 0.90 |
| 14 | Alaska profile | $88.13 | $183,310 | $82,160 | $221,220 | 140 | 0.44 | 2.86 |
| 15 | Indiana profile | $87.98 | $183,000 | $58,960 | $183,000 | 790 | 0.25 | 1.59 |
| 16 | Idaho profile | $83.13 | $172,920 | $79,180 | $226,260 | 250 | 0.30 | 1.91 |
| 17 | Maryland profile | $82.78 | $172,190 | $53,210 | $204,420 | 170 | 0.06 | 0.40 |
| 18 | North Dakota profile | $82.26 | $171,100 | $58,040 | $175,960 | 130 | 0.29 | 1.90 |
| 19 | Oregon profile | $80.00 | $166,400 | $76,950 | $230,850 | 40 | 0.02 | 0.14 |
| 20 | Nevada profile | $79.98 | $166,360 | $57,220 | $227,870 | 90 | 0.06 | 0.37 |
| 21 | Maine profile | $77.63 | $161,470 | $55,760 | $165,110 | 100 | 0.15 | 0.97 |
| 22 | Kentucky profile | $72.43 | $150,650 | $98,230 | $156,550 | 370 | 0.18 | 1.19 |
| 23 | Kansas profile | $71.59 | $148,910 | $76,590 | $163,160 | 420 | 0.29 | 1.91 |
| 24 | Iowa profile | $70.92 | $147,510 | $45,470 | $173,670 | 410 | 0.26 | 1.68 |
| 25 | Texas profile | $67.30 | $139,990 | $31,380 | $184,790 | 2,770 | 0.20 | 1.27 |
| 26 | Washington profile | $64.55 | $134,270 | $112,360 | $239,740 | 1,040 | 0.29 | 1.90 |
| 27 | Georgia profile | $64.26 | $133,660 | $37,420 | $187,990 | 1,190 | 0.24 | 1.57 |
| 28 | Delaware profile | $63.14 | $131,340 | $93,490 | $211,350 | 120 | 0.25 | 1.60 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania profile | $53.16 | $110,580 | $110,580 | $110,580 | ** | ** | ** |
| 30 | Virginia profile | $50.00 | $104,000 | $62,180 | $213,830 | 1,270 | 0.31 | 2.00 |
| 31 | Ohio profile | $45.80 | $95,260 | $38,330 | $210,440 | 1,720 | 0.31 | 2.01 |
| 32 | Arizona profile | $44.85 | $93,280 | $81,120 | $209,950 | 590 | 0.18 | 1.18 |
| 33 | Utah profile | $44.60 | $92,780 | $32,640 | $195,950 | 100 | 0.06 | 0.37 |
| 34 | South Carolina profile | $41.45 | $86,210 | $35,950 | $211,840 | 670 | 0.29 | 1.87 |
| 35 | Montana profile | $40.69 | $84,630 | $44,470 | $123,780 | 70 | 0.14 | 0.90 |
| 36 | Louisiana profile | $39.93 | $83,040 | $24,660 | $143,800 | 180 | 0.09 | 0.59 |
| 37 | Wisconsin profile | $36.84 | $76,620 | $27,380 | $175,880 | 130 | 0.05 | 0.30 |
| 38 | West Virginia profile | $30.40 | $63,240 | $63,240 | $138,590 | 350 | 0.50 | 3.20 |
| 39 | Alabama profile | $25.41 | $52,850 | $37,420 | $110,110 | 560 | 0.27 | 1.73 |
| 40 | Michigan profile | $24.62 | $51,210 | $45,720 | $181,280 | 570 | 0.13 | 0.83 |
| 41 | Mississippi profile | $24.02 | $49,960 | $27,510 | $165,240 | 360 | 0.31 | 2.00 |
| – | Arkansas profile | * | * | * | * | 240 | 0.19 | 1.20 |
| – | Missouri profile | * | * | * | * | 600 | 0.20 | 1.32 |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (23-1020), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Legal Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 23-1023 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 23-1023, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 23-1023.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.