Hiring a judge in Philadelphia, PA

Do Philadelphia residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay?

Philadelphia residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $91,401 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $77,845 as the median of the 8 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 17%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole legal group, not this one role. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area the group covers 8 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from title examiners, abstractors, and searchers at $56,490 to judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates at $204,160 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 8 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Residents here out-earn the midpoint of what the metro pays across this group, which usually points to people commuting out to better-paying employers. Expect a Philadelphia offer in this field to compete with a drive, not only with the firm down the road.

Is the talent actually in Philadelphia?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. 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). O*NET OnLine, SOC 23-1023.

That matters here, because 34.6% of Philadelphia adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Philadelphia aged 25 and over.

The average Philadelphia commute runs 32 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 16.4% of Philadelphia workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Philadelphia.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Philadelphia County, legal services employs 16,293 and turns over 4.8% a quarter, with 906 hires against 932 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $12,178 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5411.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $204,160 median in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $40,832 to $61,248 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a judge in Philadelphia

What does it cost to hire a judge in Philadelphia?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $204,160 median wage in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $40,832 to $61,248 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a judge in Philadelphia look like?

Employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates a median of $204,160, with the middle half of the market between $94,460 and $211,350 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $94,460 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Philadelphia residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay?

Philadelphia residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $91,401 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $77,845 as the median of the 8 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 17%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Philadelphia?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 34.6% of Philadelphia adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Related

• Hiring Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Philadelphia
• Every Pennsylvania city we cover

Philadelphia is the largest of 2 Pennsylvania cities in this dataset.