Legal · Career brief

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$153,990

Very high national median pay

2025 national median. Top 10% for pay among careers on ChooseField.

2Demand

2.8%

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

800

Low national opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Bottom quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

Professional degree

Long formal preparation is part of the path

Doctoral or professional degree + related experience. Related work experience is typically required.

5The work

Persuasive / leading

Influence, decisions, and results matter

Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

ChooseField take

The standout national signal is pay; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if persuasive or leadership-oriented work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a professional-degree path. Main tradeoff: BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Before choosing, compare:Lawyers Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Judicial Law Clerks

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates with another field Explore rankings in Legal Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$153,990

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

2.8%employment growth800openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

Doctoral or professional degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

25,300

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates (23-1023).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts.
Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.
Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.9
Getting Information4.8
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.6
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.5
Processing Information4.4

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Enterprising5.3
Conventional4.1
Social4.0
Investigative3.8
Realistic2.3
Artistic2.2

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Law and Government Psychology Public Safety and Security Computers and Electronics

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Analyze a public case scenario, identify the governing rules and missing facts, and defend a decision whose consequences matter.
Ask someone doing this job which feeder role built the required experience, what that earlier job paid, and how long the transition actually took.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

Prior related experience: 5 years or more. Look for the preceding roles and promotion route before treating this as a first job.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options