General magistrate vs magisterial district judge

The differences between general magistrates and magisterial district judges can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a general magistrate and a magisterial district judge. Additionally, a general magistrate has an average salary of $69,134, which is higher than the $58,685 average annual salary of a magisterial district judge.

The top three skills for a general magistrate include legal research, and . The most important skills for a magisterial district judge are district court, appeals, and legal issues.

General magistrate vs magisterial district judge overview

	General Magistrate	Magisterial District Judge
Yearly salary	$69,134	$58,685
Hourly rate	$33.24	$28.21
Growth rate	-1%	-1%
Number of jobs	41,785	7,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	10	10

General magistrate vs magisterial district judge salary

General magistrates and magisterial district judges have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Magistrate	Magisterial District Judge
Average salary	$69,134	$58,685
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $113,000	Between $38,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between general magistrate and magisterial district judge education

There are a few differences between a general magistrate and a magisterial district judge in terms of educational background:

	General Magistrate	Magisterial District Judge
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Law	Law
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

General magistrate vs magisterial district judge demographics

Here are the differences between general magistrates' and magisterial district judges' demographics:

	General Magistrate	Magisterial District Judge
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5%	Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 80.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between general magistrate and magisterial district judge duties and responsibilities

General magistrate example responsibilities.

Handle all aspects of arbitration proceeding from fact gathering to witness testimony to, determination and authoring/rendering decision.
Handle all aspects of arbitration proceeding from fact gathering to witness testimony to, determination and authoring/rendering decision.

Magisterial district judge example responsibilities.

Manage, and update all scheduling of events, meetings, and appointments for mediation and arbitration for family law cases.
Serve active warrants and subpoenas and all civil and criminal court orders, investigations and other law enforcement duties.
Perform citations, arrest warrants and subpoenas and investigations.
Perform extensive research and prepare legal memoranda on domestic relations and probate issues.
Perform clerical work by cross-referencing voters' names with their identification.

General magistrate vs magisterial district judge skills

Common general magistrate skills

Legal Research, 100%

Common magisterial district judge skills

District Court, 21%
Appeals, 13%
Legal Issues, 11%
Court Proceedings, 10%
Legal Research, 9%
Social Security, 9%

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General Magistrate vs Magisterial District Judge

Updated January 8, 2025

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