SOC 23-1023.00

    Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

    Arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law.

    Median pay
    $153,990
    Growth
    +2.8%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    800
    Typical education
    Doctoral or professional degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $46,950
    Median
    $153,990
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $221,710
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    24,030 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates administer justice in courts of law, ruling on civil and criminal cases. This career offers a median annual pay of $153,990, with earnings ranging from under $46,950 to over $221,710.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates do

    Job Zone 5: Extensive preparation

    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.

    Most need a graduate degree, such as a master's, PhD, MD or JD.

    What the work is like

    People in this career oversee legal proceedings, determine civil liability, and sentence criminal defendants according to established laws. Daily activities revolve around gathering and processing information, making critical decisions, and evaluating evidence to ensure compliance with legal standards. They frequently interact with the public and must document court information accurately.

    Success in this role requires strong skills in active listening, critical thinking, judgment, and reading comprehension. Judges must possess deep knowledge of law and government, the English language, administration, and psychology. Because they must manage courtroom dynamics and make difficult rulings, they need work styles centered on integrity, dependability, self-control, and stress tolerance. This career strongly appeals to individuals with enterprising interests who enjoy leading and making influential decisions.

    How to get there

    Entering this profession requires extensive preparation. The typical educational path to become a judge or magistrate is earning a doctoral or professional degree.

    Most individuals in this field need a graduate degree, such as a Juris Doctor, master's degree, PhD, or MD. The primary college major that leads to this career is law. Candidates must also build significant legal experience and deep expertise in public safety, administration, and communications to qualify for these judicial appointments or elections.

    Pay and outlook explained

    In 2025, the median annual pay for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates was $153,990. The lowest 10 percent of earners in this field made less than $46,950, while the highest 10 percent earned more than $221,710.

    There are 24,030 people employed in this profession. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 2.8 percent, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. Approximately 800 job openings are projected to become available each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    22 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    47 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    20 / 100
    Social (S)
    49 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    71 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    52 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ECS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    98
    Getting Information
    95
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    91
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    88
    Processing Information
    86
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    80
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    79
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    78
    Documenting/Recording Information
    75
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    72
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Critical Thinking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Speaking
    • Writing
    • Active Learning
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Monitoring

    Knowledge

    • Law and Government
    • English Language
    • Administration and Management
    • Psychology
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Communications and Media

    Abilities

    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Written Comprehension
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Written Expression
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Recognition

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self-Control
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Cautiousness
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Self-Confidence
    • Perseverance

    Also called

    Administrative Court Justice · Appeals Specialist · Appellate Court Judge · Appellate Immigration Judge · Ballot Processing Judge · Bankruptcy Judge · Chancery Master · Chief Judge · Circuit Court Judge · Circuit Judge

    Career pathway

    From your interests to judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$153,990 median pay

    3. Majors

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Law

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative titles for judges and magistrates?

    Professionals in this field are also known as appellate court judges, bankruptcy judges, circuit court judges, administrative court justices, or chief judges.

    What are the main skills needed for this career?

    Judges rely heavily on active listening, critical thinking, complex problem solving, and judgment. They also need strong speaking and writing skills to communicate rulings clearly.

    What other careers are similar to this legal role?

    Related careers include administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers. Other similar roles are lawyers, judicial law clerks, and arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.