Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Salary
The median pay for a judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $135,430/year ($65.11/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $19K at the entry level to $188K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $137,311 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 18% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $135K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 12% below the U.S. median of $154K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 18.3% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Lower pay, lower costs, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands can be a reasonable trade-off for judges, magistrate judges, and magistratess who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $154K | $157K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $146K | $154K |
| Corpus Christi | $140K | $151K |
| Lubbock | $140K | $153K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates (10th percentile) start around $19K. Mid-career wages sit at $135K. Top earners bring in $188K or more, a $169K spread from bottom to top.
Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $240K | +56% | 120 |
| Massachusetts | $222K | +44% | 610 |
| Connecticut | $218K | +41% | 230 |
| New York | $216K | +41% | 2,270 |
| Hawaii | $212K | +38% | 120 |
| Tennessee | $208K | +35% | 420 |
| Nebraska | $208K | +35% | 160 |
| New Mexico | $205K | +33% | 250 |
| New Jersey | $204K | +33% | 920 |
| Colorado | $199K | +29% | 620 |
| Vermont | $194K | +26% | 80 |
| Minnesota | $190K | +23% | 590 |
| Florida | $186K | +21% | 1,380 |
| Alaska | $183K | +19% | 140 |
| Indiana | $183K | +19% | 790 |
| Idaho | $173K | +12% | 250 |
| Maryland | $172K | +12% | 170 |
| North Dakota | $171K | +11% | 130 |
| Oregon | $166K | +8% | 40 |
| Nevada | $166K | +8% | 90 |
| Maine | $161K | +5% | 100 |
| Kentucky | $151K | -2% | 370 |
| Kansas | $149K | -3% | 420 |
| Iowa | $148K | -4% | 410 |
| Texas | $140K | -9% | 2,770 |
| Washington | $134K | -13% | 1,040 |
| Georgia | $134K | -13% | 1,190 |
| Delaware | $131K | -15% | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $111K | -28% | N/A |
| Virginia | $104K | -32% | 1,270 |
| Ohio | $95K | -38% | 1,720 |
| Arizona | $93K | -39% | 590 |
| Utah | $93K | -40% | 100 |
| South Carolina | $86K | -44% | 670 |
| Montana | $85K | -45% | 70 |
| Louisiana | $83K | -46% | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $77K | -50% | 130 |
| West Virginia | $63K | -59% | 350 |
| Alabama | $53K | -66% | 560 |
| Michigan | $51K | -67% | 570 |
| Mississippi | $50K | -68% | 360 |
Showing 1–10 of 41 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Legal
Frequently asked questions
Can a judges, magistrate judges, and magistrate afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $135K, rent takes 18.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates typically earn — is $19K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,151/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 137% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is judges, magistrate judges, and magistrate a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $135K here vs. $154K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $135K median vs. the U.S. average of $154K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $137K — below the national median.
How much do judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $135,430 a year, that works out to about $65 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $19,180, and experienced judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates can clear $188,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $135K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,610/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 18.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates salary is worth about $137,311 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.