Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 23-1021 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$117,874
$56.67/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Administrative Law Judges salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$61K
P25$81K
P50$118K
P75$160K
P90$207K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: HOT. Demand is hot -- professional & business services job openings are running at 5.5% (JOLTS, June 2026), a tight market. Candidates have leverage, so a competitive offer sits at or above the median; below-median offers often will not close.
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Merit budget: Wages in professional services are rising about 2.5% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.1-2.6% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $117,874 to $159,682 (market median to the 75th percentile). Lean toward the top of the range for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Administrative Law Judges pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 2.3% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, roughly in line with the 2.5% wage growth of Professional & Business Services (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · HOT
Professional & Business Services is running a 5.5% job-openings rate with quits at 2.2% (BLS JOLTS). Demand has cooled for 2 straight months (6.2% down to 5.5%).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 3.4 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 5.5% (down 0.3pp), still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: sector wages growing 2.5% per year. Nationally, wages rose 3.2% while CPI hit 3.5%, so real wages turned negative.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers is $117,874 per year ($56.67/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $81,141 and $159,682 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $207,480 per year. There are approximately 16,370 administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. Determine liability, sanctions, or penalties, or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or settlements.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-0.7%
Little or no change
Annual openings
500
per year, on avg
Workforce today
18K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Doctoral or professional degree
Experience
5 years or more
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 3 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
9K
$106,050
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
5K
$135,730
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
3K
$94,520
Wage range across top 5 industries: $94,520 to $135,730 (44% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.38
$61,110
P25
$39.01
$81,141
P50MEDIAN
$56.67
$117,874
P75
$76.77
$159,682
P90
$99.75
$207,480
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Hot
Openings Rate
5.5%
Quits Rate
2.2%
Professional & Business Services openings eased to 1.30M in June (-71K), rate 5.5% -- still the highest of any major sector. Quits held at 2.2%. White-collar demand is cooling at the edges but remains the tightest market.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers salary?
The national median salary for Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers is $117,874 per year ($56.67/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $81,141 and $159,682 annually.
How much do top-earning administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers is $207,480 per year ($99.75/hr). The 75th percentile is $159,682 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers?
Entry-level Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers (10th percentile) earn approximately $61,110 per year ($29.38/hr). The 25th percentile is $81,141 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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