Hiring a judge in St. Paul, MN

Do St. Paul residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area pay?

St. Paul residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $91,378 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $84,070 as the median of the 7 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 9%, 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area the group covers 7 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from title examiners, abstractors, and searchers at $58,980 to judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates at $186,580 (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 7 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.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of St. Paul and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

Is the talent actually in St. Paul?

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 43.5% of St. Paul 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 St. Paul aged 25 and over.

The average St. Paul commute runs 22.3 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% of St. Paul 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 St. Paul.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Ramsey County, legal services employs 1,737 and turns over 5.4% a quarter, with 132 hires against 128 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,530 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 $186,580 median in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $37,316 to $55,974 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 St. Paul

What does it cost to hire a judge in St. Paul?

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 $186,580 median wage in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $37,316 to $55,974 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a judge in St. Paul look like?

Employers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area pay judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates a median of $186,580, with the middle half of the market between $171,080 and $190,110 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $171,080 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do St. Paul residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area pay?

St. Paul residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $91,378 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $84,070 as the median of the 7 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 9%. 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 St. Paul?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 43.5% of St. Paul 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 St. Paul
• Every Minnesota city we cover

St. Paul is the 2nd largest of 2 Minnesota cities in this dataset.