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The national median salary for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is $156,208 per year ($75.10/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $86,070 and $189,883 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $216,549 per year. There are approximately 25,580 judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. May sentence defendant in criminal cases according to government statutes or sentencing guidelines. May determine liability of defendant in civil cases. May perform wedding ceremonies.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+2.5%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
900
per year, on avg
Workforce today
27K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
8% from new growth92% 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 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
14K
$172,990
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
11K
$99,110
Wage range across top 5 industries: $99,110 to $172,990 (75% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$22.37
$46,530
P25
$41.38
$86,070
P50MEDIAN
$75.10
$156,208
P75
$91.29
$189,883
P90
$104.11
$216,549
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 judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates salary?
The national median salary for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is $156,208 per year ($75.10/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $86,070 and $189,883 annually.
How much do top-earning judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates make?
The 90th percentile salary for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is $216,549 per year ($104.11/hr). The 75th percentile is $189,883 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?
Entry-level Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (10th percentile) earn approximately $46,530 per year ($22.37/hr). The 25th percentile is $86,070 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.