🇺🇸 United States · Judge / Magistrate
From $155,360 / yr by industry
Mean salary — $155,360 / yr.
$155,360 / yr
💰 Pay spread — by industry / specialty
The mean is the headline; the spread is what matters.
232,600 $
Federal Judge (US District)
Article III, lifetime appointment
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
195,000 $
State Supreme Court Justice
Highest state court
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
155,000 $
State Trial Judge
General jurisdiction
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
165,000 $
Administrative Law Judge
Federal agency hearings
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
🗺️ The path — stage by stage
- 1. Bachelor (4 yr) — Any major; LSAT prep
- 2. JD (law school) (3 yr) — Top schools = federal clerkship pipeline
- 3. Bar admission (— yr) — State-by-state
- 4. Practice / Clerkship (10~20 yr) — AUSA / litigation / academia common feeders
- 5. Judicial selection (— yr) — Federal: Senate confirm. State: election or merit.
📝 Licensing exam
Bar Exam + Judicial Selection
Bar admission required; judges then appointed (federal/some state) or elected (most state).
🏛️ Top schools
| School | Location | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Yale Law | New Haven, CT | Strong judicial pipeline |
| Harvard Law | Cambridge, MA | Federal clerkship feeder |
| Stanford Law | Stanford, CA | Tech + IP focus |
| Columbia Law | New York, NY | NYC / SDNY pipeline |
| U Chicago Law | Chicago, IL | Law & economics |
🟠 Tier 3 — context only
💵 Specialties — same title, different number
| Specialty / Industry | Mean / yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Judge (US District) | 232,600 $ | Article III, lifetime appointment |
| State Supreme Court Justice | 195,000 $ | Highest state court |
| State Trial Judge | 155,000 $ | General jurisdiction |
| Administrative Law Judge | 165,000 $ | Federal agency hearings |
| Magistrate Judge | 215,000 $ | Federal, term appointment |
🏢 Employer types — base vs total comp
Federal Bench
Federal pay scale, lifetime tenure (Art. III)
State Bench
State pay scale, term-based
Administrative
GS scale, federal agency-specific
📈 Income across years
Law school grad
0 $
0 yr
Clerkship
80,000 $
1~2 yr
Practice (10~20 yr typical before bench)
200,000 $
10~20 yr
Judge (state)
155,000 $
— yr
Judge (federal)
232,600 $
— yr
📚 Go deeper
Four sub-pages — gift, vision, path, history.