How much does a judge make?
Typical yearly pay for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in the United States.
median pay per year, about $12,832 a month or $74.03 an hour.
That's more than 95% of the 100 jobs in our salary guide, ranking #6 of 100.
Think you know what other jobs pay?
Paycheck is a free daily game: guess the pay for five jobs, see how close you got, and share your score.
Play today's PaycheckWhere it ranks
| IT manager | $175,140 |
| Dentist | $170,950 |
| Lawyer | $159,670 |
| Judge | $153,990 |
| Air traffic controller | $148,080 |
| Petroleum engineer | $144,910 |
| Pharmacist | $140,910 |
Similar jobs
- Police patrol officer$76,210
- Mail carrier$60,550
- Water treatment operator$60,020
- Firefighter$59,280
- Correctional officer$58,940
- Private detective$51,220
How much does a judge make per hour?
About $74.03 an hour, if you spread the median yearly pay over a standard 40-hour week, 52 weeks a year. Actual hourly pay varies with overtime, shift work and location.
Becoming a judge
The U.S. Department of Labor's career profile covers the training, licenses and day-to-day tasks for this job.
About this number
This is the national median wage for the occupation “Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates” (code 23-1023.00) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025 release, as published on O*NET OnLine. The median is the middle value: half of workers earn more, half earn less.