Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates · SOC 23-1023

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistratess

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (12 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 98 metro areas

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	$229,760	150	0.2
2	Longview-Kelso, WA	$228,330	40	1.1
3	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$221,710	420	0.2
4	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	$218,190	200	0.2
5	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	$217,760	100	0.2
6	Albuquerque, NM	$216,220	80	0.2
7	Lincoln, NE	$208,180	40	0.2
8	Omaha, NE-IA	$208,180	90	0.2
9	Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	$204,160	50	0.3
10	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$204,160	1,280	0.1
11	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$204,160	210	0.1
12	Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$204,160	50	0.2
13	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$198,790	310	0.2
14	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$196,890	360	0.1
15	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$196,890	200	0.1
16	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$191,320	90	0.1
17	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$190,690	40	0.0
18	Colorado Springs, CO	$190,230	70	0.2
19	Greeley, CO	$190,230	30	0.3
20	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$186,580	420	0.2
21	Evansville, IN	$183,000	30	0.3
22	Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	$183,000	260	0.2
23	Gainesville, FL	$178,950	40	0.2
24	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$178,260	60	0.0
25	Glens Falls, NY	$177,840	30	0.6

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.