United States · General Schedule (GS) · FY 2026
JUD-DISTRICT Grade Salary
District Judge — US District Court (Article III).
2026 salary range
$249,900 – $249,900
Annual base in USD ($). Excludes locality pay, allowances, and performance bonuses.
Step-by-step pay table
| Step | Annual | Monthly (approx) | Hourly (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $249,900 | $20,825 | $120 |
Hourly computed assuming 2,080 annual working hours. Actual hourly rates on official tables may differ slightly.
Locality pay — total after geographic adjustment
Most US federal employees receive locality pay on top of the JUD-DISTRICT base. OPM sets the uplift per metro area each January. Below is the locality-adjusted annual salary range for JUD-DISTRICT, applied to base step 1 and step 10 respectively.
| Locality Area | Adjustment | Step 1 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCBWashington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA | +33.94% | $334,716 | $334,716 |
| NYNew York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% | $344,737 | $344,737 |
| SFSan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% | $365,704 | $365,704 |
| LALos Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% | $341,039 | $341,039 |
| CHIChicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | +30.86% | $327,019 | $327,019 |
| RUSRest of U.S. | +17.06% | $292,533 | $292,533 |
| ALAlbany-Schenectady, NY-MA | +20.77% | $301,804 | $301,804 |
| AQAlbuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | +18.33% | $295,707 | $295,707 |
| ATLAtlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | +23.79% | $309,351 | $309,351 |
| AUAustin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +20.35% | $300,755 | $300,755 |
| BHBirmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | +18.24% | $295,482 | $295,482 |
| BNBurlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | +19.45% | $298,506 | $298,506 |
| BOSBoston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | +32.58% | $331,317 | $331,317 |
| BUBuffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | +22.41% | $305,903 | $305,903 |
| CCCorpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | +17.63% | $293,957 | $293,957 |
| CINCincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | +21.93% | $304,703 | $304,703 |
| CLECleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | +22.23% | $305,453 | $305,453 |
| COLColumbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | +22.15% | $305,253 | $305,253 |
| CSColorado Springs, CO | +20.15% | $300,255 | $300,255 |
| CTCharlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +19.67% | $299,055 | $299,055 |
| DAYDayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | +21.42% | $303,429 | $303,429 |
| DENDenver-Aurora, CO | +30.52% | $326,169 | $326,169 |
| DETDetroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | +29.12% | $322,671 | $322,671 |
| DFWDallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | +27.26% | $318,023 | $318,023 |
| DMDes Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | +18.01% | $294,907 | $294,907 |
| DVDavenport-Moline, IA-IL | +18.93% | $297,206 | $297,206 |
| FNFresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | +17.65% | $294,007 | $294,007 |
| HARHartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | +32.08% | $330,068 | $330,068 |
| HBHarrisburg-Lebanon, PA | +19.43% | $298,456 | $298,456 |
| HNTHuntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | +21.91% | $304,653 | $304,653 |
| HOUHouston-The Woodlands, TX | +35.00% | $337,365 | $337,365 |
| INDIndianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | +18.15% | $295,257 | $295,257 |
| KCKansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | +18.97% | $297,306 | $297,306 |
| LRLaredo, TX | +21.59% | $303,853 | $303,853 |
| LVLas Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | +19.57% | $298,805 | $298,805 |
| MFLMiami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +24.67% | $311,550 | $311,550 |
| MILMilwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | +22.42% | $305,928 | $305,928 |
| MSPMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +27.62% | $318,922 | $318,922 |
| OMOmaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | +18.23% | $295,457 | $295,457 |
| PBPalm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | +17.93% | $294,707 | $294,707 |
| PHLPhiladelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +28.99% | $322,346 | $322,346 |
| PITPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | +21.03% | $302,454 | $302,454 |
| PORPortland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | +26.13% | $315,199 | $315,199 |
| PXPhoenix-Mesa, AZ | +22.45% | $306,003 | $306,003 |
| RARaleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | +22.24% | $305,478 | $305,478 |
| RCHRichmond, VA | +22.28% | $305,578 | $305,578 |
| RNReno-Fernley, NV | +17.52% | $293,682 | $293,682 |
| RTRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | +17.88% | $294,582 | $294,582 |
| SACSacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | +29.76% | $324,270 | $324,270 |
| SDSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +33.72% | $334,166 | $334,166 |
| SEASeattle-Tacoma, WA | +31.57% | $328,793 | $328,793 |
| SLSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | +20.03% | $299,955 | $299,955 |
| SNSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | +17.67% | $294,057 | $294,057 |
| SOSan Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | +18.78% | $296,831 | $296,831 |
| TUTucson-Nogales, AZ | +19.28% | $298,081 | $298,081 |
| VBVirginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | +18.80% | $296,881 | $296,881 |
Locality data sourced from U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Locality Pay XML tables. Last refreshed 2026-04-20. RUS ("Rest of U.S.") is the default for areas not otherwise listed. Law-enforcement, special-rate, and capped schedules not shown — see the OPM tables for specifics.
Frequently asked
How much does a JUD-DISTRICT make in the United States federal government?
A JUD-DISTRICT in the United States federal civil service earns between $249,900 and $249,900 per year in 2026, before locality adjustments, allowances, and bonuses. These figures are published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Is the JUD-DISTRICT grade the same in every agency?
The base pay scale is set centrally by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and applied uniformly across eligible federal employers, but agency-specific supplements, locality pay, and bargaining agreements can produce meaningful differences in take-home pay.
Where does this data come from?
Directly from U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. Each page on FedSalary carries the retrieval date and a link back to the primary source.