National Salary Info » Highest Paying States for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

Highest-paying States for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

The highest-paying states for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates (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 judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $216,280, Illinois is the highest paying state for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates. It is followed by California (average annual salary $214,320). 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 judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in a specific state, use the links in the table.

Table 1. Highest-paying States for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (2022 Survey)

Rank	State	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Illinois	$216,280	$175,700	980
2	California	$214,320	$191,320	1,420
3	Rhode Island	$206,860	$105,210	110
4	Hawaii	$204,060	$201,470	120
5	Connecticut	$195,480	$70,460	190
6	Delaware	$194,900	$84,040	120
7	New Jersey	$184,950	$50,010	1,010
8	New York	$182,890	$69,400	3,130
9	Massachusetts	$180,190	$143,770	990
10	Arkansas	$180,130	$86,110	290
11	Nebraska	$178,200	$173,380	120
12	Maryland	$177,900	$148,100	530
13	Nevada	$175,510	$78,000	260
14	Colorado	$174,650	$152,670	620
15	Minnesota	$169,250	$118,560	570
16	Vermont	$167,440	$67,750	60
17	Florida	$162,330	$146,070	1,510
18	Indiana	$159,490	$79,490	790
19	Oregon	$154,690	$65,610	380
20	North Dakota	$152,170	$152,170	90
21	Missouri	$146,810	$85,640	460
22	Maine	$141,400	$69,530	80
23	Kentucky	$139,650	$126,260	270
24	Washington	$135,200	$99,820	940
25	Kansas	$135,080	$37,450	490
26	Georgia	$134,790	$46,360	1,110
27	Idaho	$132,390	$52,000	280
28	New Mexico	$131,520	$32,690	290
29	Ohio	$127,090	$34,810	2,480
30	Texas	$125,990	$21,210	2,760
31	Utah	$116,840	$51,080	130
32	Alaska	$116,440	$34,350	190
33	Tennessee	$115,910	$48,680	530
34	Wyoming	$111,320	$50,060	30
35	Puerto Rico	$103,540	$80,430	540
36	Louisiana	$99,030	$28,510	100
37	South Dakota	$93,810	$60,610	30
38	Wisconsin	$92,120	$33,290	170
39	Arizona	$82,790	$74,670	700
40	South Carolina	$79,850	$27,410	680
41	Oklahoma	$66,960	$31,090	880
42	Montana	$61,500	$22,500	60
43	West Virginia	$60,360	$60,360	330
44	Pennsylvania	$58,950	$44,720	230
45	Virginia	$53,430	$41,920	100
46	Iowa	$52,420	$43,680	410
47	Michigan	$51,440	$46,430	640
48	Alabama	$47,840	$29,480	550
49	Mississippi	$47,450	$24,870	280

Note: some states are missing from this table because the median salary information of judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in those states is not available at this time.