Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a judge
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to judge jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for judges, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for judge jobs.
The median salary for judges in New Mexico is $153,754. Compare that to the median salary in Hawaii of $57,481, which ranked worst for judges, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the West is best for judges, and the Northeast is the worst. Jacksonville, FL is the best city in the country for judge jobs, where as New Mexico is the best state in the country.
10 best states for judges in 2026
1. New Mexico
Total judge jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $153,754 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $237,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
2. New York
Total judge jobs: 78 Average annual salary: $149,457 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $231,000 Location Quotient: 2.63
3. Oklahoma
Total judge jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $137,488 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $219,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
4. New Jersey
Total judge jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $149,783 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $231,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
5. Texas
Total judge jobs: 39 Average annual salary: $141,565 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $224,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
6. Michigan
Total judge jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $134,772 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $216,000 Location Quotient: 0.72
7. Georgia
Total judge jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $132,264 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $212,000 Location Quotient: 1
8. Florida
Total judge jobs: 59 Average annual salary: $127,071 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location Quotient: 1.63
9. Illinois
Total judge jobs: 17 Average annual salary: $131,089 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $211,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
10. Tennessee
Total judge jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $131,628 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $211,000 Location Quotient: 0.22
Judge jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a judge
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a judge
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $153,754 | $99,000 | 2,088,070 | 6 |
| 2 | New York | $149,457 | $96,000 | 19,849,399 | 78 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | $137,488 | $86,000 | 3,930,864 | 8 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $149,783 | $96,000 | 9,005,644 | 19 |
| 5 | Texas | $141,565 | $89,000 | 28,304,596 | 39 |
| 6 | Michigan | $134,772 | $83,000 | 9,962,311 | 13 |
| 7 | Georgia | $132,264 | $82,000 | 10,429,379 | 24 |
| 8 | Florida | $127,071 | $77,000 | 20,984,400 | 59 |
| 9 | Illinois | $131,089 | $81,000 | 12,802,023 | 17 |
| 10 | Tennessee | $131,628 | $81,000 | 6,715,984 | 3 |
| 11 | Arkansas | $133,194 | $82,000 | 3,004,279 | 0 |
| 12 | Iowa | $127,508 | $78,000 | 3,145,711 | 4 |
| 13 | Nevada | $119,470 | $73,000 | 2,998,039 | 5 |
| 14 | Kansas | $129,655 | $80,000 | 2,913,123 | 2 |
| 15 | Utah | $122,615 | $75,000 | 3,101,833 | 3 |
| 16 | Missouri | $104,915 | $62,000 | 6,113,532 | 16 |
| 17 | Colorado | $107,631 | $64,000 | 5,607,154 | 17 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $105,918 | $63,000 | 12,805,537 | 16 |
| 19 | Oregon | $102,587 | $61,000 | 4,142,776 | 17 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $104,778 | $63,000 | 1,059,639 | 2 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $102,405 | $61,000 | 6,859,819 | 40 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $111,208 | $67,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $110,977 | $66,000 | 2,984,100 | 1 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $102,456 | $61,000 | 693,972 | 12 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $98,359 | $57,000 | 4,684,333 | 10 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $105,213 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 3 |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $98,923 | $59,000 | 1,342,795 | 4 |
| 28 | Ohio | $94,952 | $56,000 | 11,658,609 | 23 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $89,635 | $53,000 | 579,315 | 9 |
| 30 | Delaware | $104,518 | $63,000 | 961,939 | 0 |
| 31 | Maryland | $102,925 | $61,000 | 6,052,177 | 7 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $101,640 | $60,000 | 1,920,076 | 0 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $96,083 | $58,000 | 755,393 | 1 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $97,081 | $57,000 | 10,273,419 | 7 |
| 35 | Alabama | $95,129 | $55,000 | 4,874,747 | 4 |
| 36 | Montana | $85,968 | $51,000 | 1,050,493 | 13 |
| 37 | California | $95,152 | $58,000 | 39,536,653 | 70 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $92,517 | $54,000 | 5,024,369 | 7 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $88,453 | $52,000 | 5,576,606 | 22 |
| 40 | Arizona | $90,503 | $54,000 | 7,016,270 | 13 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $92,402 | $54,000 | 4,454,189 | 1 |
| 42 | Alaska | $75,617 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 3 |
| 43 | Vermont | $93,067 | $54,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 44 | Maine | $72,242 | $42,000 | 1,335,907 | 6 |
| 45 | Washington | $75,673 | $44,000 | 7,405,743 | 25 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $72,092 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 16 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $84,636 | $50,000 | 869,666 | 0 |
| 48 | Virginia | $81,297 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 11 |
| 49 | Idaho | $76,880 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 1 |
| 50 | Indiana | $73,625 | $43,000 | 6,666,818 | 4 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $57,481 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 0 |
Highest paying states for judges
| Rank | State | Avg. Judge Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $153,754 |
| 2 | New York | $149,457 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | $137,488 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $149,783 |
| 5 | Texas | $141,565 |
| 6 | Michigan | $134,772 |
| 7 | Georgia | $132,264 |
| 8 | Florida | $127,071 |
| 9 | Illinois | $131,089 |
| 10 | Tennessee | $131,628 |
| 11 | Arkansas | $133,194 |
| 12 | Iowa | $127,508 |
| 13 | Nevada | $119,470 |
| 14 | Kansas | $129,655 |
| 15 | Utah | $122,615 |
| 16 | Missouri | $104,915 |
| 17 | Colorado | $107,631 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $105,918 |
| 19 | Oregon | $102,587 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $104,778 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $102,405 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $111,208 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $110,977 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $102,456 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $98,359 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $105,213 |
| 27 | New Hampshire | $98,923 |
| 28 | Ohio | $94,952 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $89,635 |
| 30 | Delaware | $104,518 |
| 31 | Maryland | $102,925 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $101,640 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $96,083 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $97,081 |
| 35 | Alabama | $95,129 |
| 36 | Montana | $85,968 |
| 37 | California | $95,152 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $92,517 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $88,453 |
| 40 | Arizona | $90,503 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $92,402 |
| 42 | Alaska | $75,617 |
| 43 | Vermont | $93,067 |
| 44 | Maine | $72,242 |
| 45 | Washington | $75,673 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $72,092 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $84,636 |
| 48 | Virginia | $81,297 |
| 49 | Idaho | $76,880 |
| 50 | Indiana | $73,625 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $57,481 |
Search for judge jobs
Updated January 8, 2025