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Job title · New Jersey

Public Defender in New Jersey

New Jersey Civil Service Commission lists 2 job classes for this work in the New Jersey state pay plan: Assistant Public Defender, Public Defender.

$111,503 – $172,108
state pay plan range, a year
2
classes in the state plan
$161,430
median pay in NJ, all employers
23,160
workers in NJ (SOC 23-1011)

Sources: New Jersey Civil Service Commission, New Jersey State Title List and FY2027 salary schedules by Employee Relations Group; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates. Data captured September 30, 2026.

New Jersey state pay plan Sourced

Published rates for each class, lowest first, effective July 7, 2007. These are the ranges New Jersey sets for its own state employees; cities, counties and school districts have their own pay plans.

Class and gradePublished rate
Assistant Public Defender
Class 30757 · class description
Grade M41
$111,503 – $156,118 a year
9 steps
  • Step 1: $111,503 a year
  • Step 2: $117,080 a year
  • Step 3: $122,657 a year
  • Step 4: $128,234 a year
  • Step 5: $133,811 a year
  • Step 6: $139,387 a year
  • Step 7: $144,964 a year
  • Step 8: $150,541 a year
  • Step 9: $156,118 a year
Public Defender
Class 30758 · class description
Grade M43
$122,932 – $172,108 a year
9 steps
  • Step 1: $122,932 a year
  • Step 2: $129,079 a year
  • Step 3: $135,226 a year
  • Step 4: $141,373 a year
  • Step 5: $147,520 a year
  • Step 6: $153,667 a year
  • Step 7: $159,814 a year
  • Step 8: $165,961 a year
  • Step 9: $172,108 a year

Schedule: ERG M – Managerial: FY2027 salary schedule. Rates are as the plan publishes them; "a year" figures are conversions. Classes are matched to this job by title (GovJobsWiki editorial rule).

Source: New Jersey Civil Service Commission, New Jersey State Title List and FY2027 salary schedules by Employee Relations Group. Data captured September 30, 2026.

Pay in New Jersey, all employers Sourced

Lawyers (SOC 23-1011) in New Jersey, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.

MeasureNJ
Workers23,160
10th percentile$93,810
Median$161,430
90th percentile$328,270
National median, government employers$134,680

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.

More about this job

Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Public Defender page.

Public Defender in other states

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