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The National Center for State Courts promotes the rule of law and improves the administration of justice in state courts and courts around the world.

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NCSC Judicial Salary Tracker

The data visualization to the right allows states to explore judicial salary data for the past five years. Viewers may choose which states they want to compare. Viewers also can filter by year and by each of four judicial positions. The cost-of-living adjustment applied to general jurisdiction judge salaries is provided by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), the most widely accepted U.S. source for cost-of-living indices.

The Survey of Judicial Salaries, published for over 40 years by NCSC with the support of state court administrative offices across the United States, serves as the primary record of compensation for state judicial officers. We are proud to offer this information in a new and interactive format.

For full project data or to download the most current salary survey, please visit the NCSC Salary Tracker.

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NCSC Data Cards

25 percent of children have been in foster care for 2+ years
16 percent of children left foster care due to abuse Learn More
10 percent of Americans reported using illicit drugs
in the past 30 days in 2015 Learn More
State trial court caseloads dropped by 16 percent nationwide from 2006 to 2015.
To see more statistics, go to courtstatistics.org Learn More
California Supreme Court justices earn the most $244,179 per year (as of Jan. 1, 2018)
New Mexico justices earn the least $131,174 Learn More
51 percent of children leave foster care after being reunified
22 percent leave foster care after being adopted Learn More
Civil caseloads declined 21 percent nationwide from 2009 to 2015.
To see more statistics, go to courtstatistics.org Learn More
New Mexico appellate judges are paid the least $124,616 per year (as of Jan. 1, 2018)
California appellate judges are paid the most $228,918 per year Learn More
Four states allow governors to appoint judges without input from nominating commissions or other sources.
They are California, Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey Learn More
As many as 38 people serve on grand juries in Pennsylvania
Connecticut grand juries include 1 person Vermont doesn’t have them Learn More
Arkansas and Massachusetts pay their trial jurors the most ($50) per day Illinois pays the least ($4)
At least 21 states raise jurors’ pay at some point after the first day, but not Illinois Learn More

CourtTalk

This Month's Episode

Navigating the foreclosure crisis

10 Questions with NCSC experts

Meet Felix Bajandas, principal court management consultant

Felix is a Puerto Rican who admires Asian culture, a technologist who considered pursuing a PhD in literature, and a towering figure who grew up playing a sport more suited to much shorter people. He worked for 11 years as the chief information officer for the Puerto Rico Judicial Branch before he started consulting for The World Bank and for NCSC. He now works in our Denver office, and his family, displaced by Hurricane Maria, has moved from Puerto Rico – after a brief stay in Virginia – to a Denver suburb.

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