23
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is a notable career in the 23 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
Education Administrators, All Other
11
Personal Service Managers, All Other
11
Managers, All Other
11
Buyers and Purchasing Agents
13
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
13
| soc | 23-1023 |
| title | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates |
| onet code | 23-1023.00 |
| description | 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. |
| job zone | 5 |
| major group | 23 |
| tot emp | 25,580 |
| a mean | 143,110 |
| a median | 156,210 |
| a pct10 | 46,520 |
| a pct25 | 86,060 |
| a pct75 | 189,890 |
| a pct90 | 216,540 |
| h mean | 68 |
| h median | 75 |
The day-to-day work of a judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates typically centers on sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Reading Comprehension. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 4.26 out of 5 — critical for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates, the most common entry qualification is a Doctoral Degree (66.5%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 100% of incumbents. This is a degree-heavy profession — most incumbents hold a four-year degree or beyond.
Median annual pay is highest in Massachusetts at $221,710 and lowest in Mississippi at $49,900 — a 4.4× spread. The top five states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Nebraska) average $206,592. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $221,710 | $204,240 | $155,450 | $221,710 | 600 |
| Connecticut | $211,420 | $196,380 | $76,440 | $211,420 | 200 |
| Hawaii | $203,290 | $208,360 | $203,290 | $215,100 | 120 |
| New Jersey | $200,150 | $166,650 | $55,280 | $221,840 | 990 |
| Nebraska | $196,390 | $188,500 | $191,090 | $201,700 | 160 |
| Arkansas | $192,910 | $181,800 | $168,790 | $192,910 | 220 |
| Colorado | $191,640 | $185,070 | $165,120 | $208,620 | 620 |
| New York | $189,890 | $175,220 | $86,420 | $221,760 | 2,460 |
| Minnesota | $182,790 | $165,960 | $163,880 | $182,790 | 470 |
| Maryland | $181,320 | $178,510 | $163,190 | $194,420 | 390 |
| Tennessee | $178,730 | $161,890 | $71,340 | $218,190 | 520 |
| Indiana | $177,180 | $151,510 | $64,550 | $177,180 | 720 |
| Oregon | $174,100 | $167,830 | $109,190 | $184,570 | 320 |
| Alaska | $168,880 | $158,160 | $96,840 | $210,180 | 140 |
| New Mexico | $164,340 | $145,110 | $98,980 | $174,800 | 240 |
| Maine | $156,770 | $135,770 | $49,340 | $163,780 | 80 |
| Missouri | $156,210 | $147,790 | $45,260 | $169,790 | 550 |
| Kansas | $148,910 | $121,000 | $37,610 | $162,520 | 420 |
| Vermont | $141,080 | $132,620 | $54,850 | $209,420 | 90 |
| Texas | $139,990 | $122,990 | $20,630 | $183,260 | 2,610 |
| Kentucky | $138,620 | $134,750 | $101,390 | $151,990 | 420 |
| Washington | $131,740 | $154,360 | $105,820 | $228,330 | 1,050 |
| Georgia | $131,670 | $121,900 | $33,660 | $181,370 | 1,210 |
| Delaware | $126,700 | $149,760 | $90,100 | $218,670 | 120 |
| Utah | $123,640 | $145,820 | $37,810 | $203,690 | 100 |
| Nevada | $118,690 | $131,360 | $63,690 | $213,220 | 100 |
| Virginia | $104,000 | $114,130 | $52,000 | $207,600 | — |
| Ohio | $97,260 | $106,600 | $22,600 | $172,520 | 2,510 |
| South Carolina | $84,270 | $99,920 | $29,760 | $207,180 | 670 |
| Wisconsin | $83,620 | $99,520 | $37,060 | $170,310 | 130 |
| Louisiana | $70,610 | $96,220 | $21,650 | $139,100 | 180 |
| Montana | $63,260 | $72,160 | $26,420 | $113,820 | 90 |
| West Virginia | $63,240 | $88,370 | $56,010 | $138,590 | 350 |
| Michigan | $51,250 | $84,180 | $45,670 | $171,080 | 530 |
| Alabama | $50,950 | $71,280 | $35,740 | $140,630 | 610 |
| Mississippi | $49,900 | $74,240 | $28,900 | $168,460 | — |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Administrative Court Justice or Appellate Court Judge frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates compares to others in the 23 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.
Explore More Data Tools
For adjacent public-data tools, methodology notes, and network updates, visit DataPeek Facts.