Louisiana judges average $170,000 in salary, in line with Southern states, rest of country

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Louisiana judges fare about average in terms of salary compared with the rest of the country and other Southern states, according to a report from the nonprofit Public Affairs Research Council examining data from the National Center for State Courts.

The research involves pay for state judges but doesn’t factor in the supplemental compensation some receive in Louisiana and other states. Judges from family court, juvenile court, parish court, city court and other types of specialty courts were not part of the analysis.

Judge pay across Louisiana state courts averages out to $170,629, and it increases along with court type.

The state’s 43 district court judges make an average of $168,949, its 53 appellate court judges make $175,797 and the six associate Louisiana Supreme Court justices make $187,914.

Though the state’s district court judges make $5,000 less than the national average — ranking about 26th in the country — they rank 17th when their salaries are adjusted for cost of living.

Judges at all three court levels will receive a 2.5% pay increase on July 1 because of a five-year raise approved in 2019, according to the Public Affairs Research Council..

South Carolina has the highest paid judges in the South, with average salaries on the district, appellate and Supreme Court levels all over $200,000. The lowest paid are in North Carolina, where average salaries range from $152,188 to $167,807.

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