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Judge Salary in the United States

How much does a Judge make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Judge in the United States is $72,673 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $35.

However, a Judge's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $82,496
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $68,356 to $77,815
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $64,426
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Judge Salaries

A Judge's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Judge Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Judge's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $73,572
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $96,061
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $123,630
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $144,906
  • Expert (over 8 years): $168,420
Levels Salary
Judge Level Judge$73,572
Applicati... Level Judge$96,061
Applicati... Level Judge$123,630
Applicati... Level Judge$144,906
Applicati... Level Judge$168,420
View as Graph

How Do Judge Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Judges. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $80,464.
  • California: $80,158.
  • Massachusetts: $79,090.

Top Paying Cities for Judges

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $91,662
  • San Francisco: $90,659
  • Oakland: $88,748

What Skills Can Increase a Judge's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 6.43% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Application Development (Mentioned in 2.53% Job Postings): Application development may refer to: Mobile application development ("app development") or the process of developing desktop application software. Mobile app development is the act or process by which a mobile app is developed for mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones. These applications can be pre-installed on phones during manufacturing platforms, or delivered as web applications using server-side or client-side processing (e.g., JavaScript) to provide an "application-like" experience within a Web browser.
  • CSS (Mentioned in 1.7% Job Postings): Cascading Style Sheets is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML. CSS is a cornerstone technology of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and JavaScript.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 6.43%
Application Development 2.53%
CSS 1.7%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Judge's salary.

  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Products and Services: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Java: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Python $79,214
9%
Products and Services $77,760
7%
Java $77,760
7%
Get Latest Data

Judge Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Judge roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 65% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Financial Services sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 35% above the average. In contrast, Judge positions in Construction or Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Judge as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Judge

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$98,109$47.035%
Financial Services$94,475$45.030%
Biotechnology$90,841$44.025%
Pharmaceuticals$87,208$42.020%
Energy & Utilities$83,574$40.015%

Judge Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Judge's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$68,356
Average $72,673/year
$77,815
$5,696
Average $6,056/month
$6,485
$1,315
Average $1,398/week
$1,496
$33
Average $35/hour
$37
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $77,815 $6,485 $1,496 $37
Average $72,673 $6,056 $1,398 $35
25th Percentile $68,356 $5,696 $1,315 $33

Most common benefits for Judge

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Judge

Here are companies hiring for Judge and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Judge

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Judge?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Judge roles, with salaries approximately 35% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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