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
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
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
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.
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