Legal
Judges
SOC 23-1023
Preside over court proceedings and make rulings that interpret law.
The job
Median pay
$154k
$86k to $195k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.8% projected
Openings a year
800
BLS projection
Typical education
Doctoral (JD) plus election or appointment
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
39/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
80th pct
More exposed than 80% of occupations · modeled estimate · 23rd pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
70/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,915 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $195k~ |
| Texas | 2,770 | 0.2 | 1.3× | $140k |
| New York | 2,270 | 0.2 | 1.5× | $216k |
| Ohio | 1,720 | 0.3 | 2.0× | $95k |
| Florida | 1,380 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $186k |
| Virginia | 1,270 | 0.3 | 2.0× | $104k |
| Georgia | 1,190 | 0.2 | 1.6× | $134k |
| Washington | 1,040 | 0.3 | 1.9× | $134k |
| Illinois | 973 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $158k~ |
| New Jersey | 920 | 0.2 | 1.4× | $204k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 868 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $111k~ |
| Indiana | 790 | 0.2 | 1.6× | $183k |
| Washington DC | 767 | 1.1 | 7.1× | $293k~ |
| South Carolina | 670 | 0.3 | 1.9× | $86k |
| Colorado | 620 | 0.2 | 1.4× | $199k |
| Massachusetts | 610 | 0.2 | 1.1× | $222k |
| Missouri | 600 | 0.2 | 1.3× | $123k~ |
| North Carolina | 598 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $117k~ |
| Arizona | 590 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $93k |
| Minnesota | 590 | 0.2 | 1.3× | $190k |
| Michigan | 570 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $51k |
| Alabama | 560 | 0.3 | 1.7× | $53k |
| Kansas | 420 | 0.3 | 1.9× | $149k |
| Tennessee | 420 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $208k |
| Iowa | 410 | 0.3 | 1.7× | $148k |
| Kentucky | 370 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $151k |
| Mississippi | 360 | 0.3 | 2.0× | $50k |
| West Virginia | 350 | 0.5 | 3.2× | $63k |
| Idaho | 250 | 0.3 | 1.9× | $173k |
| New Mexico | 250 | 0.3 | 1.9× | $205k |
| Arkansas | 240 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $107k~ |
| Connecticut | 230 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $218k |
| Oklahoma | 228 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $118k~ |
| Louisiana | 180 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $83k |
| Maryland | 170 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $172k |
| Nebraska | 160 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $208k |
| Alaska | 140 | 0.4 | 2.8× | $183k |
| North Dakota | 130 | 0.3 | 2.0× | $171k |
| Wisconsin | 130 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $77k |
| Delaware | 120 | 0.2 | 1.6× | $131k |
| Hawaii | 120 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $212k |
| Rhode Island | 120 | 0.2 | 1.6× | $240k |
| Maine | 100 | 0.2 | 1.0× | $161k |
| Utah | 100 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $93k |
| Nevada | 90 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $166k |
| Vermont | 80 | 0.3 | 1.7× | $194k |
| New Hampshire | 75 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $133k~ |
| Montana | 70 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $85k |
| South Dakota | 41 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $133k~ |
| Oregon | 40 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $166k |
| Wyoming | 32 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $98k~ |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ1,280 jobs · $204k median
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX710 jobs · $154k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA550 jobs · $145k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA550 jobs · $135k median
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR490 jobs
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX480 jobs · $135k median
- Cleveland, OH440 jobs · $80k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX430 jobs
Explore the rankings
Explore Judges interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.