PublicPay

Administrative Law Judge federal salary series 0935

Full-time federal employees in the Administrative Law Judge series earned a median of $209,600 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 91% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $209,600 and $209,600.

Median pay
$209,600
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$209,600–$209,600
25th–75th percentile
Employees
1,202
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Administrative Law Judge
All federal (full-time)

What shapes administrative law judge pay

The most common grade with published pay is AL-3 (1,175 employees, median $209,600). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Social Security Administration (969 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in Louisiana ($209,600) and lowest in North Carolina ($209,600), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

Administrative Law Judge pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Administrative Law Judge pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
AL-3 1,175 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Administrative Law Judge pay by agency

Administrative Law Judge pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Social Security Administration 969 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Department of Health and Human Services 111 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Department of Labor 30 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Administrative Law Judge pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Administrative Law Judge pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 88 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
District of Columbia 76 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Florida 69 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Texas 67 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Ohio 61 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
New York 61 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Pennsylvania 55 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Missouri 51 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Michigan 49 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
Georgia 48 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare administrative law judge pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.0% from $207,500 in September 2025 to $209,600 in September 2026. Headcount went from 1,268 to 1,202 (−5.2%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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