Careers / Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$153,990
United States, 2025
Employment
24,030
United States, 2025
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Job Zone 5
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 23-1023.00
- Job zone
- 5
- Experience required
- Over 8 years, up to and including 10 years
Typical tasks
- Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
- Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
- Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts.
- Write decisions on cases.
- Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues.
- Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.
- Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges.
- Award compensation for damages to litigants in civil cases in relation to findings by juries or by the court.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$46,950
25th percentile
$85,710
75th percentile
$194,950
90th percentile
$221,710
Most important skills
- Active Listening5.0
- Critical Thinking4.9
- Reading Comprehension4.3
- Judgment and Decision Making4.3
- Complex Problem Solving4.1
- Writing4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Active Learning4.0
- Monitoring3.9
- Time Management3.4
- Negotiation3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 17 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
17
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 5.0 | 5.9 | Not selected | 5.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.9 | 5.8 | Not selected | 5.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.1 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.3 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.3 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Writing | 4.1 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Speaking | 4.1 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 | 4.6 | Not selected | 4.6 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Time Management | 3.4 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Judges, Magistrate Judges, and MagistratesHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| RI | $239,760 | 120 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $229,760 | 150 | 2025 |
| Longview, WA | $228,330 | 40 | 2025 |
| MA | $221,710 | 610 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $221,710 | 420 | 2025 |
| Nashville, TN | $218,190 | 200 | 2025 |
| Hartford, CT | $217,760 | 100 | 2025 |
| CT | $217,760 | 230 | 2025 |
| NY | $216,390 | 2,270 | 2025 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $216,220 | 80 | 2025 |
| HI | $211,810 | 120 | 2025 |
| TN | $208,350 | 420 | 2025 |
| NE | $208,180 | 160 | 2025 |
| Lincoln, NE | $208,180 | 40 | 2025 |
| Omaha, NE | $208,180 | 90 | 2025 |
| NM | $205,400 | 250 | 2025 |
| NJ | $204,160 | 920 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $204,160 | 210 | 2025 |
| Atlantic City, NJ | $204,160 | 50 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $204,160 | 1,280 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.