What is a judge's salary?

According to the 2012 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a judge makes an average annual salary of $102,980, or $49.51 per hour. A judge's salary varies based upon geographic location, education, experience and legal sector.

The median wage for judges, magistrates and magistrate judges was $115,760 in 2012. In that same year, the recorded median wage for administrative law judges, adjudicators and hearing officers was $87,240 annually.

Federal district judges make $169,300 per year, while federal appeals court judges make $179,500 annually. Supreme Court justices make $208,100 per year, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is paid about $217,400 per year.