Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
Government and Public AdministrationO*NET 23-1021.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $117,853
- Projected change
- +2.5%
- Typical education
- Doctoral degree or more
- Employment
- 18.53K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
42.4% of the workforce
Growing to 19K by 2035
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The work
What administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
- Determine existence and amount of liability according to current laws, administrative and judicial precedents, and available evidence.
- Prepare written opinions and decisions.
- Authorize payment of valid claims and determine method of payment.
- Conduct hearings to review and decide claims regarding issues, such as social program eligibility, environmental protection, or enforcement of health and safety regulations.
- Research and analyze laws, regulations, policies, and precedent decisions to prepare for hearings and to determine conclusions.
- Review and evaluate data on documents, such as claim applications, birth or death certificates, or physician or employer records.
- Recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or compromise settlements according to laws, regulations, policies, and precedent decisions.
- Rule on exceptions, motions, and admissibility of evidence.
- Explain to claimants how they can appeal rulings that go against them.
- Confer with individuals or organizations involved in cases to obtain relevant information.
- Issue subpoenas and administer oaths in preparation for formal hearings.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $61,086
- 25th percentile
- $81,117
- 50th percentile
- $117,853
- 75th percentile
- $159,703
- 90th percentile
- $207,535
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $117,853 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+2.5%average or slower
202518,530 jobs
2035 projected18,997 jobs
467 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Doctoral degree or more
- 42.4%
- Bachelor's degree
- 20%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 15.2%
- Some college
- 11.2%
- Associate degree
- 11.2%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Hearing Officers222 postings
- 02Administrative Law Judges177 postings
- 03Statewide Coordinators43 postings
- 04Administrative Hearing Officers29 postings
- 05Hearings Examiners28 postings
- 06Disability Representatives18 postings
- 07Workers' Compensation Managers17 postings
- 08Special Assistant Attorneys General12 postings
- 09Adjudicators11 postings
- 10Justices of the Peace11 postings
- 11Child Support Officers10 postings
- 12Claims Adjudicators10 postings
- 13Disability Adjudicators10 postings
- 14Interdisciplinary Engineers9 postings
- 15Child Support Investigators7 postings
- 16Parole Agents7 postings
- 17Child Support Enforcement Officers6 postings
- 18Disability Claims Adjudicators6 postings
- 19Administrative Judges5 postings
- 20Child Support Specialists5 postings
Top employers
- 01State of California71 postings
- 02State of New York51 postings
- 03Nys Department Of Civil Service26 postings
- 04State of Washington22 postings
- 05California State Personnel Board19 postings
- 06Newyork State Government19 postings
- 07State of Florida13 postings
- 08Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania12 postings
- 09State of Indiana11 postings
- 10New Jersey Courts10 postings
- 11Nys Office Of Temporary & Disability Assistance10 postings
- 12State Of Colorado9 postings
- 13State Of Illinois9 postings
- 14State of Nevada9 postings
- 15Fort Bend County7 postings
- 16New York City7 postings
- 17State of Louisiana7 postings
- 1822nd Century Technologies6 postings
- 19California Department Of Industrial Relations6 postings
- 20City of Philadelphia6 postings
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