CCollegeMatcher

Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

US occupation · SOC 23-1021

Job titles people report: Adjudications Specialist, Adjudicator, Administrative Hearings Officer, Administrative Judge, Administrative Law Judge, Appeals Examiner, Appeals Referee, Claims Adjudicator, Hearings Officer, Workers' Compensation Hearings Officer

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025
$117,860
Half earn more, half earn less
Middle half earn
$81,140 – $159,680
25th to 75th percentile
People employed, May 2025
16,370
Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
Projected change, 2025–35
0%
Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)
Openings a year (projected)
500
New jobs plus replacing people who leave
Typical education to enter
Doctoral or professional degree
BLS
  • All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
  • Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
  • Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. Determine liability, sanctions, or penalties, or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or settlements.

Main tasks

  • 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.
  • Conduct hearings to review and decide claims regarding issues, such as social program eligibility, environmental protection, or enforcement of health and safety regulations.
  • Rule on exceptions, motions, and admissibility of evidence.
  • Research and analyze laws, regulations, policies, and precedent decisions to prepare for hearings and to determine conclusions.
  • Determine existence and amount of liability according to current laws, administrative and judicial precedents, and available evidence.
  • Issue subpoenas and administer oaths in preparation for formal hearings.
  • Explain to claimants how they can appeal rulings that go against them.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)
Doctoral or professional degree
Work experience in a related job: 5 years or more
Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training
O*NET Job Zone 5
Extensive preparation
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).

Interests it suits

The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.

  • Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
  • Enterprising: leading, persuading and making business decisions
  • Investigative: research, analysis and solving problems with ideas

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Fields

Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.

Legal Professions and Studies

  • Law

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

← All careers

Sources

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0

Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk