What is a magistrate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a magistrate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $101.08 an hour? That's $210,238 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -1% and produce -600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMagistrateUS Average

Salary

10.0

Avg. Salary $210,238

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate -1%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 6.40%

Black or African American 5.58%

Hispanic or Latino 7.80%

Unknown 4.38%

White 75.53%

Gender

female 50.39%

male 49.61%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Magistrate career paths

Key steps to become a magistrate

Explore magistrate education requirements
Most common magistrate degrees
Bachelor's
54.4 %
Doctorate
28.5 %
Master's
6.6 %
Start to develop specific magistrate skills
Skills Percentages
Legal Research 15.88%
District Court 12.12%
Legal Issues 9.89%
Legal Principles 9.38%
Phone Calls 6.73%
Show more
Research magistrate duties and responsibilities
- Issue various types of processes including: arrest warrants, summonses, search warrants, subpoenas, and civil commitments.
- Prepare subpoenas and dockets for municipal court proceedings.
- Issue various types of processes such as arrest warrants, summonses, bonds, search warrants, and medical detention orders.
- Issue criminal and civil summonses.
Apply for magistrate jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a magistrate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
2. Consult your professional network
3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
4. Watch out for job scams

Skills	Percentages
Legal Research	15.88%
District Court	12.12%
Legal Issues	9.89%
Legal Principles	9.38%
Phone Calls	6.73%

How did you land your first magistrate job

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Average magistrate salary

The average magistrate salary in the United States is $210,238 per year or $101 per hour. Magistrate salaries range between $123,000 and $358,000 per year.

Average magistrate salary

$210,238 Yearly

$101.08 hourly

More magistrate salary info

What am I worth?

How do magistrates rate their job?

4/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Magistrate reviews

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019

Pros

There was something different everyday, worked with a varity of different people, the benefits. Was never boring.

Cons

Dealing with rude people. Doing bench warrants. Setting bonds on violent aggressive inmates. Didnt like presiding over civil cases. Bench trials.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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What is a magistrate and how to become one

Magistrate career paths

Key steps to become a magistrate

Explore magistrate education requirements

Most common magistrate degrees

Start to develop specific magistrate skills

Research magistrate duties and responsibilities

Apply for magistrate jobs

How did you land your first magistrate job

Average magistrate salary

How do magistrates rate their job?

Magistrate reviews