Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $104K, rent takes 21.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,364/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates typically earn — is $61K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,663/month.

Local pay runs 32% below the national median — $104K here vs. $154K nationally.

Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area pays $104K median vs. the U.S. average of $154K — that’s -32%.

The median is $104,000 a year, that works out to about $50 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $61,050, and experienced judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates can clear $213,830. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,341/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,364/month, which eats 21.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Northwest Virginia nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates salary is worth about $104,000 in national-average purchasing power.

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.