Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
SOC Code: 23-1023
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates carries a 37% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $156,210 and +2.5% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 27,300 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 37% AI exposure, Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates sits 0 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 59% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
64/100
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $156,210
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C- +2.5%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) D 37% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Graduate credential among the thinner entry shelves
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates is in the Graduate band (113 of 832) with BLS pace Average (378/832). Graduate entry is a minority shelf - pairing it with average growth is the standing that separates this SOC from bachelor-dominated neighbors.
Where Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
37% Around the middle lower than 41% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 23-1023) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
- 2. Rule on custody and access disputes, and enforce court orders regarding custody and support of children.
- 3. Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
- 4. Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts.
- 5. Write decisions on cases.
- 6. Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues.
- 7. Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.
- 8. Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges.
- 9. Award compensation for damages to litigants in civil cases in relation to findings by juries or by the court.
- 10. Conduct preliminary hearings to decide issues, such as whether there is reasonable and probable cause to hold defendants in felony cases.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Writing
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
- Monitoring
Knowledge Areas
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Psychology
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
- Therapy and Counseling
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Sociology and Anthropology
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates has an AI exposure score of 37%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates is projected to grow by 2.5% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 27,300 workers.
What skills are needed for Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?
Key skills for Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and others. Typical entry-level education is Doctoral or professional degree.
How much do Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates earn?
The median annual wage for Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates is $156,210, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?
The typical entry-level education for Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates is Doctoral or professional degree. Employers generally expect 5 years or more of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates?
Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (37% here).
- Aircraft cargo handling supervisors · AI exposure 37%
- Bakers · AI exposure 37%
- Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders · AI exposure 37%
- Construction and building inspectors · AI exposure 37%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+2.5% here).
- Building cleaning workers, all other · growth +2.5%
- Dietetic technicians · growth +2.5%
- Education administrators, all other · growth +2.5%
- First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers · growth +2.5%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 515 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).