Hiring Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
Employers across the 49 metro areas we publish data for pay administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers a median of $64,620 to $177,150 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A search through RecruitLocalPros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340, set by seniority, never by location or salary. Our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.
What do administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers do?
- Determine existence and amount of liability according to current laws, administrative and judicial precedents, and available evidence.
- Monitor and direct the activities of trials and hearings to ensure that they are conducted fairly and that courts administer justice while safeguarding the legal rights of all involved parties.
- Prepare written opinions and decisions.
- Authorize payment of valid claims and determine method of payment.
- Conduct hearings to review and decide claims regarding issues, such as social program eligibility, environmental protection, or enforcement of health and safety regulations.
- Research and analyze laws, regulations, policies, and precedent decisions to prepare for hearings and to determine conclusions.
Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 23-1021.00.
What does it take to become one?
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
O*NET Job Zone 5, SVP (8.0 and above). O*NET OnLine.
Employers commonly list experience with Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint for this role.
What do administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers get paid?
BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers in 49 of the metro areas we publish data for. The median ranges from $64,620 to $177,150 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $121,720. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.
BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 23-1021.
What does hiring one cost?
The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest median any metro we publish data for pays administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers is $177,150 a year, place of work (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $35,430 to $53,145 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.
Frequently asked
- How fast can an administrative law judge search fill?
- Typically 23 to 35 days, and typically 2 to 3x faster than a contingency search, per our recruiting partner's published figures. Both are typical rather than guaranteed.
- What if the hire does not work out?
- A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.
Price an administrative law judge search
Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen, with the contingency comparison if you are paying one now.
Where we run administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers searches
The fee does not move with the city. The wage band does, so each page prices the role against what that metro actually pays.
- Hiring administrative law judges in New York, NY
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Chicago, IL
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Houston, TX
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Phoenix, AZ
- Hiring administrative law judges in Philadelphia, PA
- Recruiting administrative law judges in San Antonio, TX
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Dallas, TX
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Fort Worth, TX
- Hiring administrative law judges in Jacksonville, FL
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Austin, TX
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Charlotte, NC
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Columbus, OH
- Hiring administrative law judges in Indianapolis, IN
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Seattle, WA
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Denver, CO
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Nashville, TN
- Hiring administrative law judges in Washington, DC
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Las Vegas, NV
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Boston, MA
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Detroit, MI
- Hiring administrative law judges in Portland, OR
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Memphis, TN
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Baltimore, MD
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Milwaukee, WI
- Hiring administrative law judges in Tucson, AZ
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Atlanta, GA
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Kansas City, MO
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Mesa, AZ
- Hiring administrative law judges in Raleigh, NC
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Miami, FL
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Virginia Beach, VA
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Minneapolis, MN
- Hiring administrative law judges in Tampa, FL
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Aurora, CO
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Arlington, TX
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Cleveland, OH
- Hiring administrative law judges in New Orleans, LA
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Henderson, NV
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Lexington, KY
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Newark, NJ
- Hiring administrative law judges in Cincinnati, OH
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Pittsburgh, PA
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in St. Paul, MN
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Jersey City, NJ
- Hiring administrative law judges in North Las Vegas, NV
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Plano, TX
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Gilbert, AZ
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Chandler, AZ
- Hiring administrative law judges in St. Louis, MO
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Buffalo, NY
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in St. Petersburg, FL
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Toledo, OH
- Hiring administrative law judges in Glendale, AZ
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Winston-Salem, NC
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Irving, TX
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Chesapeake, VA
- Hiring administrative law judges in Garland, TX
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Scottsdale, AZ
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Boise, ID
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Richmond, VA
- Hiring administrative law judges in Frisco, TX
- Recruiting administrative law judges in McKinney, TX
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Norfolk, VA
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Hialeah, FL
- Hiring administrative law judges in Tacoma, WA
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Salt Lake City, UT
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Yonkers, NY
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Des Moines, IA
- Hiring administrative law judges in Grand Prairie, TX
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Little Rock, AR
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Rochester, NY
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Tallahassee, FL
- Hiring administrative law judges in Overland Park, KS
- Recruiting administrative law judges in Knoxville, TN
- Administrative law judge pay and hiring in Grand Rapids, MI
- Hiring an administrative law judge in Peoria, AZ