Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $78K, rent takes 24.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,199/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 $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,915/month.

Local pay runs 49% below the national median — $78K here vs. $154K nationally.

Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area pays $78K median vs. the U.S. average of $154K — that’s -49%.

The median is $78,010 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,910, and experienced judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates can clear $122,700. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,961/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,199/month, which eats 24.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Southeast Alabama 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 $78,010 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.