The median annual wage for administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers was $90,600 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,270, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $158,700.
The median annual wage for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates was $126,930 in May 2015.
The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,720, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $186,720.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for judges and hearing officers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
State government, excluding education and hospitals
$123,660
Federal government
122,260
Local government, excluding education and hospitals
80,330
Most judges and hearing officers work full time, and many often work additional hours to prepare for case hearings.
Some courthouses have evening and weekend hours. In addition, judges have to be on call during nights or weekends to issue emergency orders, such as search warrants and restraining orders.
Judges and Hearing Officers
Median annual wages, May 2015
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
$126,930
Judges and hearing officers
$109,010
Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers
$90,600
Legal occupations
$78,170
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics
