Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates vs Judicial Law Clerks: $154K vs $65K Median Pay

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates vs Judicial Law Clerks: what changes?

Consider Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates if you want to arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. Consider Judicial Law Clerks if you would rather assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates (5 years or more).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates and Judicial Law Clerks. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

National median pay (2025): $153,990
Route into the job: 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
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 800

Know before you choose

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

See the full Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates brief

Judicial Law Clerks

National median pay (2025): $64,920
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Prepare briefs, legal memoranda, or statements of issues involved in cases, including appropriate suggestions or recommendations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,500

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (14,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Judicial Law Clerks brief

How the national numbers differ

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates has the edge on median pay

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates is at $153,990, compared with $64,920 for Judicial Law Clerks.

Judicial Law Clerks has the edge on annual openings

Judicial Law Clerks is at 1,500 annual openings, compared with 800 annual openings for Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates.

46.9/ 100

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

38.9/ 100

Judicial Law Clerks

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates vs Judicial Law Clerks

Dimension	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	Judicial Law Clerks
Median pay (2025)	$153,990	$64,920
Pay percentile	95.5 percentile	56.6 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.8%	2.8%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	800	1,500
2025 employment	25,300	14,000
How you qualify	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	Doctoral or professional degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	Prior related experience: 5 years or more.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates brief Read Judicial Law Clerks brief

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates vs Judicial Law Clerks: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates

Judicial Law Clerks

How the national numbers differ

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates has the edge on median pay

Judicial Law Clerks has the edge on annual openings

Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates vs Judicial Law Clerks

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