Pay by state · 41 states
Judge Salary by State (2026)
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates earn the most in Rhode Island at $239,760 a year and the least in Mississippi at $49,960 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $153,990. All 41 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $239,760Rhode Island
- National median
- $153,990BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $49,960Mississippi
- States reporting
- 41of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Judge salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RIRhode Island | $239,760 | $214,990 | $254,950 | 120 | $234,415 |
| 2 | MAMassachusetts | $221,710 | $186,170 | $221,710 | 610 | $209,641 |
| 3 | CTConnecticut | $217,760 | $217,760 | $217,760 | 230 | $210,173 |
| 4 | NYNew York | $216,390 | $174,250 | $232,590 | 2,270 | $200,508 |
| 5 | HIHawaii | $211,810 | $205,300 | $217,110 | 120 | $192,640 |
| 6 | TNTennessee | $208,350 | $121,120 | $218,190 | 420 | $226,788 |
| 7 | NENebraska | $208,180 | $202,550 | $208,180 | 160 | $231,047 |
| 8 | NMNew Mexico | $205,400 | $126,960 | $216,220 | 250 | $222,748 |
| 9 | NJNew Jersey | $204,160 | $103,260 | $204,160 | 920 | $187,638 |
| 10 | COColorado | $198,790 | $170,080 | $198,790 | 620 | $192,903 |
| 11 | VTVermont | $194,170 | $146,410 | $194,170 | 80 | $198,218 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $190,110 | $171,080 | $190,110 | 590 | $192,768 |
| 13 | FLFlorida | $186,040 | $176,450 | $196,890 | 1,380 | $179,898 |
| 14 | AKAlaska | $183,310 | $128,550 | $216,220 | 140 | $179,085 |
| 15 | INIndiana | $183,000 | $146,400 | $183,000 | 790 | $196,081 |
| 16 | IDIdaho | $172,920 | $133,750 | $226,260 | 250 | $181,079 |
| 17 | MDMaryland | $172,190 | $105,510 | $191,320 | 170 | $164,055 |
| 18 | NDNorth Dakota | $171,100 | $110,580 | $171,100 | 130 | $192,336 |
| 19 | OROregon | $166,400 | $94,960 | $178,260 | 40 | $160,989 |
| 20 | NVNevada | $166,360 | $83,610 | $224,420 | 90 | $166,395 |
| 21 | MEMaine | $161,470 | $121,120 | $161,470 | 100 | $166,378 |
| 22 | KYKentucky | $150,650 | $141,750 | $156,550 | 370 | $167,094 |
| 23 | KSKansas | $148,910 | $76,590 | $148,910 | 420 | $165,331 |
| 24 | IAIowa | $147,510 | $45,470 | $165,950 | 410 | $168,080 |
| 25 | TXTexas | $139,990 | $82,190 | $167,990 | 2,770 | $144,235 |
| 26 | WAWashington | $134,270 | $114,120 | $212,560 | 1,040 | $125,471 |
| 27 | GAGeorgia | $133,660 | $70,420 | $155,840 | 1,190 | $138,806 |
| 28 | DEDelaware | $131,340 | $93,490 | $211,350 | 120 | $131,593 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $110,580 | $110,580 | $110,580 | N/A | $113,332 |
| 30 | VAVirginia | $104,000 | $68,940 | $192,440 | 1,270 | $102,864 |
| 31 | OHOhio | $95,260 | $52,410 | $137,280 | 1,720 | $102,680 |
| 32 | AZArizona | $93,280 | $89,990 | $164,360 | 590 | $92,653 |
| 33 | UTUtah | $92,780 | $60,510 | $168,400 | 100 | $93,846 |
| 34 | SCSouth Carolina | $86,210 | $57,880 | $122,990 | 670 | $91,958 |
| 35 | MTMontana | $84,630 | $48,930 | $113,150 | 70 | $89,418 |
| 36 | LALouisiana | $83,040 | $41,600 | $119,000 | 180 | $94,142 |
| 37 | WIWisconsin | $76,620 | $46,230 | $136,640 | 130 | $81,428 |
| 38 | WVWest Virginia | $63,240 | $63,240 | $138,590 | 350 | $70,662 |
| 39 | ALAlabama | $52,850 | $41,660 | $77,310 | 560 | $59,500 |
| 40 | MIMichigan | $51,210 | $48,340 | $127,310 | 570 | $53,223 |
| 41 | MSMississippi | $49,960 | $42,010 | $68,640 | 360 | $57,456 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates, that changes the ranking: Rhode Island leads on raw pay at $239,760, while Rhode Island leads once prices are taken into account at $234,415.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Judge pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates the most?
Rhode Island reports the highest median wage for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates at $239,760 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Massachusetts ($221,710) and Connecticut ($217,760).
Which state pays Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates the least?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates at $49,960 a year, $189,800 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Rhode Island first at $234,415 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $239,760. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.