Highest-paying Cities for Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

The top 100 highest paying cities for administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers in those cities are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with a annual salary of $178,810, Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California is the highest paying city for administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers. It is followed by Kansas City, Missouri (average annual salary $176,610). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers in a specific city, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest-paying cities/areas for Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

Rank	City/Area	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California	$178,810	$86,190	290
2	Kansas City, Missouri	$176,610	$102,380	50
3	Camden, New Jersey	$161,570	$94,870	30
4	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California	$146,830	$83,220	290
5	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California	$141,940	$83,220	70
6	Indianapolis-Carmel, Indiana	$139,070	$102,190	40
7	San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California	$137,740	$109,820	120
8	Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Florida	$132,760	$43,200	50
9	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, West Virginia	$132,050	$66,520	570
10	Gary, Indiana	$129,970	$32,890	n/a
11	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia	$129,430	$72,260	500
12	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California	$128,750	$83,220	40
13	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California	$128,750	$83,740	660
14	Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, California	$127,300	$68,840	90
15	San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California	$127,300	$72,320	230
16	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$124,840	$81,080	130
17	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$121,290	$79,490	110
18	Knoxville, Tennessee	$118,220	$34,440	40
19	Providence-Fall River-Warwick, Rhode Island	$118,120	$82,150	40
20	Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Michigan	$115,010	$75,280	90
21	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington	$114,060	$83,750	170
22	Waco, Texas	$113,240	$96,720	40
23	Jackson, Mississippi	$113,240	$40,710	30
24	Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin	$112,240	$92,110	40
25	Lansing-East Lansing, Michigan	$112,200	$99,960	120
26	Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan	$112,200	$77,830	90
27	Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Michigan	$111,540	$42,540	40
28	Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado	$110,970	$70,100	160
29	Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas	$110,870	$84,450	150
30	Fresno, California	$110,800	$66,790	60
31	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL Metropolitan Division), Illinois	$110,660	$66,380	290
32	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York	$110,480	$67,240	200
33	New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York	$109,680	$84,500	980
34	Buffalo-Niagara Falls, New York	$109,470	$85,280	60
35	Montgomery, Alabama	$109,260	$72,590	40
36	St Louis, Missouri	$108,930	$63,650	50
37	Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas	$108,780	$72,510	320
38	Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida	$106,950	$79,350	120
39	Eugene-Springfield, Oregon	$106,430	$52,110	30
40	Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington	$105,020	$84,110	120
41	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL-IN-WI Area), Illinois	$104,890	$60,940	270
42	Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, Wisconsin	$104,000	$66,870	100
43	Baltimore-Towson, Maryland	$103,500	$62,400	170
44	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida	$103,230	$35,790	30
45	Syracuse, New York	$102,550	$80,620	40
46	Akron, Ohio	$102,550	$48,010	40
47	Toledo, Ohio	$102,550	$77,290	30
48	Tacoma, Washington	$102,410	$78,080	30
49	Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa	$102,410	$71,880	60
50	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$102,070	$73,510	140
51	Newark-Union, Pennsylvania	$101,150	$68,670	170
52	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas	$100,630	$74,760	110
53	Northeastern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area, Oklahoma	$100,120	$53,500	30
54	Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania	$99,690	$73,300	40
55	Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio	$98,490	$77,290	70
56	Tucson, Arizona	$98,000	$58,920	30
57	Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area, Michigan	$97,810	$43,720	30
58	Huntington-Ashland, West Virginia	$95,990	$65,720	30
59	Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, South Carolina	$95,870	$65,520	30
60	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California	$95,490	$54,710	800
61	North Arizona nonmetropolitan area, Arizona	$95,160	$25,270	40
62	Tallahassee, Florida	$94,760	$41,720	90
63	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida	$94,390	$45,760	150
64	New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, Louisiana	$94,370	$19,870	70
65	Salt Lake City, Utah	$92,120	$55,520	90
66	Ogden-Clearfield, Utah	$91,260	$66,210	40
67	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	$91,190	$71,680	100
68	Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona	$91,000	$69,530	160
69	Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio	$90,850	$59,890	40
70	Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$90,400	$69,500	80
71	Nassau-Suffolk, New York	$89,260	$68,670	200
72	New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York	$88,960	$69,310	980
73	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California	$88,600	$52,790	600
74	Jacksonville, Florida	$87,940	$39,520	30
75	Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pennsylvania	$87,380	$64,190	130
76	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut	$86,960	$70,460	190
77	Memphis, Tennessee	$86,070	$50,720	80
78	Spokane, Washington	$81,710	$70,470	50
79	Honolulu, Hawaii	$80,870	$55,230	40
80	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania	$80,480	$51,360	340
81	Salem, Oregon	$79,270	$54,230	180
82	San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	$78,340	$51,000	50
83	Monroe, Louisiana	$76,470	$18,350	n/a
84	Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada	$75,880	$48,630	80
85	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$75,620	$37,600	290
86	Lafayette, Louisiana	$75,390	$38,870	30
87	San Juan-Caguas-Guaynabo, Puerto Rico	$75,110	$59,080	30
88	Southwestern Montana nonmetropolitan area, Montana	$74,650	$58,280	40
89	Richmond, Virginia	$73,960	$40,310	180
90	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut	$70,460	$70,460	40
91	Santa Fe, New Mexico	$69,000	$51,960	40
92	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Washington	$68,700	$49,460	240
93	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	$66,350	$53,810	50
94	Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area, Vermont	$66,000	$50,340	30
95	Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Arkansas	$64,480	$40,840	200
96	Charleston, West Virginia	$63,630	$35,740	80
97	Springfield, Illinois	$62,960	$48,290	190
98	East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area, Montana	$61,010	$23,260	30
99	Columbia, South Carolina	$60,840	$46,990	80
100	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pennsylvania	$59,500	$43,670	30

See also: 💰 Highest paying industries for administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers.