Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $135K, rent takes 29.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,501/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 $112K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $6,742/month. At HUD’s $2,501/month FMR, rent would take 37% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $135K here vs. $154K nationally.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue pays $135K median vs. the U.S. average of $154K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 111.13), the purchasing-power equivalent is $122K — below the national median.

The median is $135,180 a year, that works out to about $65 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $112,360, and experienced judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates can clear $248,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,596/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,501/month, which eats 29.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue has a Regional Price Parity of 111.13 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates salary is worth about $121,641 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.