New Methodology to Calculate the ACCRA Cost-of-Living Indices ... Connecticut. Delaware. District of Columbia. Florida.
Vol. 38 No. 1
Survey of
As of January 1, 2013
Judicial Salaries
The Survey of Judicial Salaries, published for nearly 30 years by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) with the support of State Court Administrative offices across the United States, serves as the primary record of compensation for state judicial officers and state court administrators. This issue of the Survey of Judicial Salaries reports salary data as of January 1, 2013. This cut-off date is important because states implement salary changes at various points during the year. However, a standard and unchanging cutoff date must be established to publish salary data in a timely and predictable fashion. Various tables and graphics show average annual changes in salaries, salary rankings across the states, and the impact of cost-of-living indices on judicial salaries. New Methodology to Calculate the ACCRA Cost-of-Living Indices This issue of the Survey uses a new methodology to calculate the statewide ACCRA adjustment factors used in the ranking tables in this report. Previous issues of the Survey used state-by-state ACCRA adjustment factors calculated by averaging the cost-of-living factors for each of the individual reporting jurisdictions in each state. C2ER has created a new, more robust, multi-variable model which supplements the raw cost-of-living data for each jurisdiction with seven additional variables to greatly improve the predicted, statewide average ACCRA factors. Specifically, the new model reflects the theory that the overall cost-of-living in a community is a function of the community’s population, population density, income, growth rate, utility rates, efficiency of the government sector, and location of the region. While many of the ACCRA adjustment factors derived from the new methodology are similar in value to the factors generated by the previous methodology, several statewide ACCRA adjustment factors changed under the new method.
States show signs of beginning to increase salaries following the recession years. Number of States with Judicial Salary Increases
40 40
Courts of Last Resort Courts of Last Resort 36 36 9 9
2007 2007
41 41
2008 2008
2009 2009
2010 2010
10 10 2011 2011
30 30
19 19
2012 2012
2007 2007
36 36
2008 2008
2009 2009
9 9
9 9
2010 2010
2011 2011
29 29
2008 2008
7 7
6 6
5 5
2009 2009
2010 2010
2011 2011
14 14 2012 2012
State Court Administrators State Court Administrators
General-Jurisdiction Trial Courts General-Jurisdiction Trial Courts
13 13 2007 2007
8 8
Intermediate Appellate Courts Intermediate Appellate Courts
38 38
19 19
2012 2012
2007 2007
31 31
2008 2008
11 11
9 9
2009 2009
2010 2010
21 21
12 12 2011 2011
2012 2012
Judicial Salaries at a Glance The average annual percent changes for the four judicial positions, and the state court administrators analyzed by the Survey is 1.52% through January 1, 2013. As indicated in the table below, this increase is less than half of the pre-recession (2003-2007) average increase of 3.24%, but judicial salaries appear to be rebounding from the low seen during the 2010-2011 period of the recession.
Average Annual % Change Pre-Recession
Chief, Highest Court Associate Justice, Court of Last Resort Judge, Intermediate Appellate Courts Judge, General-Jurisdiction Trial Courts State Court Administrators
Recession
Recovery
Mean
Median
Range
2003-07
2008-09
2010-11
2012
$160,435 $155,143 $148,834 $139,166 $138,500
$156,727 $150,000 $140,732 $134,943 $133,450
$122,686 to $228,856 $119,476 to $218,237 $114,994 to $204,599 $111,631 to $182,429 $89,960 to $211,272
3.19% 3.21% 3.20% 3.30% 3.30% 3.24%
1.58% 1.88% 1.60% 1.91% 1.38% 1.67%
0.67% 0.64% 0.36% 0.58% 0.89% 0.63%
1.70% 1.66% 1.33% 1.47% 1.43% 1.52%
Average
Salaries and Rankings for Appellate and General-Jurisdiction Judges - Listed Alphabetically by State Name The table below lists the salaries and rankings for associate justices of the courts of last resort, associate judges of intermediate appellate courts, and judges of general jurisdiction trial courts (actual salaries and cost of living adjusted salaries) as of January 1, 2013. Where possible, the salary figures are actual salaries. In jurisdictions where some judges receive supplements, the figures are the most representative available—either the base salary, the midpoint of a range between the lowest and highest supplemented salaries, or the median. Salaries are ranked from highest to lowest, with the highest salary for each position having a rank of “1.” The lowest salary has a rank of “51” except for intermediate appellate courts, which exist in only 39 states. The mean, median, and salary range for each of the positions are also shown. Highest Court Salary Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Mean Median Range
$180,005 $196,224 $155,000 $145,204 $218,237 $139,660 $162,520 $190,639 $184,500 $157,976 $167,210 $151,118 $121,900 $211,228 $156,667 $163,200 $135,905 $135,504 $150,772 $119,476 $165,600 $145,984 $164,610 $145,981 $122,460 $147,591 $121,434 $145,615 $170,000 $146,917 $185,482 $123,691 $177,000 $138,896 $138,159 $141,600 $137,655 $125,688 $199,606 $165,726 $141,286 $121,718 $173,352 $150,000 $146,800 $132,928 $183,839 $164,221 $136,000 $144,495 $165,000
$155,143 $150,000 $119,476 $218,237
Rank 9 4 23 33 1 37 20 5 7 21 13 24 48 2 22 19 42 43 25 51 15 30 17 31 47 27 50 32 12 28 6 46 10 38 39 35 40 45 3 14 36 49 11 26 29 44 8 18 41 34 16
General-Jurisdiction Trial Court
Intermediate Appellate Court Salary
Rank
$178,878 $185,388 $150,000 $140,732 $204,599 $134,128 $152,637
5 4 17 20 1 30 12
$150,077 $166,186 $139,924 $120,900 $198,805 $152,293 $147,900 $131,518 $130,044 $143,647
16 10 22 37 2 14 18 33 35 19
$152,543 $135,087 $151,441 $137,552 $114,994 $134,685
13 28 15 25 39 29
$138,334
23
$175,534 $117,506 $168,600 $133,109
6 38 7 31
$132,000 $130,410 $122,820 $188,337
32 34 36 3
$137,753
24
$167,592 $137,500 $140,100
9 26 21
$168,322 $156,328
8 11
$136,316
27
$148,834 $140,732 $114,994 to $204,599
Adjusted for Cost of Living
Salary $134,943 $181,440 $145,000 $136,257 $178,789 $128,598 $146,780 $180,233 $174,000 $142,178 $148,891 $136,127 $114,300 $182,429 $130,080 $137,700 $120,037 $124,620 $137,744 $111,969 $143,160 $129,694 $139,919 $129,124 $112,128 $127,020 $113,928 $134,694 $160,000 $137,804 $165,000 $111,631 $160,000 $125,875 $126,597 $121,350 $124,373 $114,468 $173,271 $149,207 $134,221 $113,688 $161,808 $125,000 $133,450 $126,369 $158,134 $148,832 $126,000 $128,600 $150,000
$139,166 $134,943 $111,631 to $182,429
Rank
Adjustment Factor
Adjusted Salary
Adjusted Rank
26 2 17 24 4 34 16 3 5 19 14 25 46 1 30 23 44 41 22 50 18 31 20 32 49 35 47 27 10 21 7 51 9 39 36 43 42 45 6 13 28 48 8 40 29 37 11 15 38 33 12
95.87 131.13 103.78 92.02 134.22 107.98 137.24 108.78 147.00 107.03 100.62 150.48 99.16 106.29 95.87 99.30 101.65 91.93 93.94 115.99 117.48 131.04 99.78 104.08 94.79 99.94 102.02 100.40 106.83 122.74 125.36 102.39 152.78 99.45 99.33 99.53 92.63 114.56 108.75 122.10 97.96 99.72 96.49 99.86 100.01 116.63 107.63 115.96 94.58 101.16 107.74
$140,756 $138,362 $139,720 $148,073 $133,203 $119,089 $106,951 $165,684 $118,367 $132,840 $147,969 $90,463 $115,270 $171,637 $135,677 $138,669 $118,091 $135,558 $146,628 $96,537 $121,864 $98,972 $140,233 $124,066 $118,291 $127,101 $111,675 $134,152 $149,775 $112,274 $131,624 $109,028 $104,726 $126,571 $127,456 $121,922 $134,273 $99,920 $159,331 $122,202 $137,014 $114,010 $167,694 $125,177 $133,441 $108,353 $146,926 $128,352 $133,219 $127,124 $139,221
10 15 12 6 23 36 46 3 37 24 7 51 40 1 17 14 39 18 9 50 35 49 11 32 38 29 43 20 5 42 25 44 47 30 27 34 19 48 4 33 16 41 2 31 21 45 8 26 22 28 13
Using the ACCRA Cost-of-Living Index The Council for Community and Economic Research—C2ER (formerly the ACCRA organization)—is the most widely accepted U.S. source for cost-of-living indices, with nearly 400 reporting jurisdictions across America. The cost-of-living indices used in this report were developed by C2ER using a multi-variable model which incorporates the costs of goods and services within a reporting jurisdiction, community population, population density, income, growth rate, utility rates, efficiency of the government sector, and location of the region. More detailed information can be found at www.accra.org or www.c2er.org. www.accra.org or www.c2er.org.
Salaries and Rankings for Appellate and General-Jurisdiction Judges - Listed in Order of State Rank The tables below list the salaries for associate justices of the courts of last resort, associate judges of intermediate appellate courts, and judges of general jurisdiction trial courts (actual salaries and cost-of-living adjusted salaries) as of January 1, 2013. Where possible, the salary figures are actual salaries. In jurisdictions where some judges receive supplements, the figures are the most representative available—either the base salary, the midpoint of a range between the lowest and highest supplemented salaries, or the median. The listings are in rank order from highest to lowest salary. The mean, median, and salary range for each of the positions are also shown.
Highest Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
General-Jurisdiction Trial Court Salary
California Illinois Pennsylvania Alaska Delaware New Jersey District of Columbia Virginia Alabama New York Tennessee Nevada Georgia Rhode Island Maryland Wyoming Michigan Washington Iowa Connecticut Florida Indiana Arizona Hawaii Louisiana Texas Missouri New Hampshire Utah Massachusetts Minnesota Nebraska Arkansas Wisconsin Ohio South Carolina Colorado North Carolina North Dakota Oklahoma West Virginia Kansas Kentucky Vermont Oregon New Mexico Mississippi Idaho South Dakota Montana Maine Mean Median Range
California $204,599 $218,237 Illinois $198,805 $211,228 Pennsylvania $188,337 $199,606 Alaska $185,388 $196,224 Alabama $178,878 $190,639 New Jersey $175,534 $185,482 New York $168,600 $184,500 Virginia $168,322 $183,839 Tennessee $167,592 $180,005 Georgia $166,186 $177,000 Washington $156,328 $173,352 Connecticut $152,637 $170,000 Maryland $152,543 $167,210 Indiana $152,293 $165,726 Michigan $151,441 $165,600 Florida $150,077 $165,000 Arizona $150,000 $164,610 Iowa $147,900 $164,221 Louisiana $143,647 $163,200 Arkansas $140,732 $162,520 Utah $140,100 $157,976 Hawaii $139,924 $156,667 Nebraska $138,334 $155,000 South Carolina $137,753 $151,118 Minnesota $137,552 $150,772 Texas $137,500 $150,000 Wisconsin $136,316 $147,591 Massachusetts $135,087 $146,917 Missouri $134,685 $146,800 Colorado $134,128 $145,984 North Carolina $133,109 $145,981 Ohio $132,000 $145,615 Kansas $131,518 $145,204 Oklahoma $130,410 $144,495 Kentucky $130,044 $141,600 Oregon $122,820 $141,286 Idaho $120,900 $139,660 New Mexico $117,506 $138,896 Mississippi $114,994 $138,159 $137,655 $136,000 $135,905 $135,504 $132,928 $125,688 $123,691 $122,460 $121,900 $121,718 $121,434 $119,476 $155,143 $148,834 $150,000 $140,732 $119,476 to $218,237 $114,994 to $204,599
Illinois Alaska Delaware California District of Columbia Pennsylvania New Jersey Tennessee Nevada New York Virginia Wyoming Rhode Island Georgia Washington Connecticut Arizona Maryland Florida Michigan New Hampshire Louisiana Iowa Arkansas Hawaii Alabama Nebraska South Carolina Utah Indiana Massachusetts Minnesota Wisconsin Colorado Missouri North Dakota Vermont West Virginia North Carolina Texas Kentucky Oklahoma Ohio Kansas Oregon Idaho Montana South Dakota Mississippi Maine New Mexico
Adjusted for Cost of Living $182,429 $181,440 $180,233 $178,789 $174,000 $173,271 $165,000 $161,808 $160,000 $160,000 $158,134 $150,000 $149,207 $148,891 $148,832 $146,780 $145,000 $143,160 $142,178 $139,919 $137,804 $137,744 $137,700 $136,257 $136,127 $134,943 $134,694 $134,221 $133,450 $130,080 $129,694 $129,124 $128,600 $128,598 $127,020 $126,597 $126,369 $126,000 $125,875 $125,000 $124,620 $124,373 $121,350 $120,037 $114,468 $114,300 $113,928 $113,688 $112,128 $111,969 $111,631
$139,166 $134,943 $111,631 to $182,429
Illinois $171,637 Tennessee $167,694 Delaware $165,684 Pennsylvania $159,331 Nevada $149,775 Arkansas $148,073 Georgia $147,969 Virginia $146,926 Louisiana $146,628 Alabama $140,756 Michigan $140,233 Arizona $139,720 Wyoming $139,221 Iowa $138,669 Alaska $138,362 South Carolina $137,014 Indiana $135,677 Kentucky $135,558 Oklahoma $134,273 Nebraska $134,152 Utah $133,441 West Virginia $133,219 California $133,203 Florida $132,840 New Jersey $131,624 Washington $128,352 North Dakota $127,456 Wisconsin $127,124 Missouri $127,101 North Carolina $126,571 Texas $125,177 Minnesota $124,066 Rhode Island $122,202 Ohio $121,922 Maryland $121,864 Colorado $119,089 District of Columbia$118,367 Mississippi $118,291 Kansas $118,091 Idaho $115,270 South Dakota $114,010 New Hampshire $112,274 Montana $111,675 New Mexico $109,028 Vermont $108,353 Connecticut $106,951 New York $104,726 Oregon $99,920 Massachusetts $98,972 Maine $96,537 Hawaii $90,463
Information in this Survey is collected from designated representatives in each state. The National Center for State Courts has protocols in place to help ensure the accuracy of the data that are collected, analyzed, and ultimately reported.
National Center for State Courts
NCSC Officers and Management Staff
The National Center for State Courts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the modernization of court operations and the improvement of justice at the state and local levels throughout the country. It functions as an extension of the state court systems, working for them at their direction and providing for them an effective voice in matters of national importance.
Headquarters
The National Center acts as a focal point for state judicial reform and provides the means for reinvesting in all the states’ lessons gained from judicial advances in any state. Funding for this Survey is made possible by assessments from all the states and territories and by individual contributions.
Robert N. Baldwin Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Points of view are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the National Center for State Courts. If you have questions or comments regarding this Survey, contact the National Center for State Courts, Knowledge and Information Services, 300 Newport Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23185, (800) 6166164, fax (757) 564-2075.
John R. Meeks, Vice President Institute for Court Management
This Survey was prepared by the Knowledge and Information Services (KIS) Office of the National Center for State Courts, with assistance from
Denver Office
300 Newport Avenue Williamsburg, VA 23185 www.ncsc.org
707 Seventeenth Street, Suite 2900 Denver, CO 80202-3429 Daniel J. Hall, Vice President Court Consulting Services
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© Copyright 2013 National Center for State Courts. Contents of this publication may be copied and reprinted without permission from the National Center for State Courts. Proper attribution is requested.
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