Juror Pay by State: How Much Jury Duty Pays in Every State (2026)

Jury duty doesn't pay much, and the amount depends almost entirely on where you're summoned. The typical daily rate for a later day of service runs from a minimum of $6 in Missouri to $100 in North Dakota. Across the 52 jurisdictions on this site with a daily rate to compare, the median is $30 a day.

Most places treat juror pay as a modest allowance for your time and travel, not a wage. Many pay less on the first day, a few pay more on long trials, and in several states the county sets the rate. Some states also make your employer keep paying you, which changes what the court pays.

This page compares juror pay in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the federal courts. Each state's page quotes the pay statute and gives local examples. Everything here is current as of November 2026.

The highest rates

Ranked by the rate for a typical later day of service, these jurisdictions pay the most:

1. North Dakota: $100 a day, the same in every county, or $50 for a first day of four hours or less. The state pays, and the 2023 Legislative Assembly doubled the rates.
2. Indiana: $30 just for reporting, $80 a day on a trial for the first five days, and $90 a day from the sixth day. The Legislature doubled juror pay in 2023.
3. New York: $72 a day, since June 8, 2025, the same in every county.
4. Nevada: $65 a day once you're on a jury, though the first two days of jury selection are unpaid.
5. Texas: at least $20 for the first day and $58 for each later day; counties may pay more.
6. District of Columbia: $57 a day if your job doesn't pay you while you serve.

Sixteen of the 52 jurisdictions with a ranked daily rate pay $50 or more for a later day, and ten pay exactly $50: Alaska, Arkansas (once seated), Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, South Dakota (on a jury), Virginia and the federal courts.

New Mexico doesn't fit the ranking because it pays by the hour: jurors get the state minimum wage, $12 an hour, which comes to about $96 for a full eight-hour day.

The lowest rates

Nine jurisdictions pay less than $20 for a typical later day:

• Missouri: at least $6 a day plus mileage. A county may add more; if it adds at least $6, the state adds another $6, so a juror on a trial gets at least $18 a day.
• Tennessee: at least $10 a day. Counties may pay more: Davidson County (Nashville) pays $20 and Hamilton County $25.
• Washington: $10 to $25 a day, set by each county; the state courts say most pay $10.
• Idaho: at least $10 for a full day, or up to $50 if the county chooses.
• Arizona: $12 a day, though superior court trial jurors whose employers don't pay them in full can ask a state fund for up to $300 a day.
• Kentucky: $12.50 a day, a rate that dates to 1978.
• California: $15 a day from the second day, a rate unchanged since July 1, 2000.
• Maine: $15 a day plus mileage.
• Wisconsin: at least $16 a day, with each county setting its own rate.

New Jersey pays $5 a day for the first three days of a trial, then $40 a day from the fourth consecutive day.

First day versus later days

Many jurisdictions pay less, or nothing, for the first day, when most people are waiting to be picked.

The first day is unpaid in Alaska and California. In Nevada, the first two days of jury selection are unpaid. In Delaware's New Castle County, which uses a one-day or one-trial system, you get nothing if you aren't picked or your trial lasts one day.

The first day pays less in several states:

Being picked pays more in others. Arkansas pays $50 a day once you're seated and at least $15 if you report but aren't. Montana pays $12 for reporting and $25 a day once you're selected. South Dakota pays $50 a day on a jury and $10 if you aren't picked. In Mississippi, most trial jurors are paid only mileage unless sworn.

Who pays the first days matters too. In Florida, the state pays $15 a day for the first 3 days only if you aren't receiving your regular wages, and $30 a day to everyone from day four.

Where the county sets the pay

In several states, the legislature sets a range or a floor and each county picks its rate:

• Georgia: $5 to $50 a day; the state's guide says most counties pay around $25.
• Illinois: a state floor, with Cook County paying $35 a day.
• Kansas: $10 to $50 a day; Sedgwick County pays $10 for the first day and $30 after that, and Johnson County's court lists $25.
• Mississippi: $25 to $40 a day, set by the board of supervisors.
• Ohio: set by the county commissioners; Franklin County pays $30 and Cuyahoga County $35.
• South Carolina: the statute still lists a per diem as low as two dollars, last amended in 1978, but counties now set higher amounts; Greenville County pays $20.
• West Virginia: $15 to $40 a day, chosen by the circuit court; the state judiciary tells jurors to expect $40.
• Wisconsin: a state floor, with Dane County paying $20 for a day over four hours and Barron County paying $100 for a full day since September 1, 2025.

Maryland works a little differently: the state pays $30 a day, and each county may add a supplement. Montgomery County, for example, raises trial jurors' pay to $50 a day from the 6th consecutive day of a trial.

Long trials

A handful of jurisdictions pay more as a trial runs on:

• Federal courts: $50 a day, up to $60 after 10 days on a trial if the judge orders it. Grand jurors may get up to $10 more for each day after 45 days (federal).
• Iowa: the Supreme Court may raise pay after 7 days; Polk County pays $50 a day for eight or more days.
• Idaho: $50 for each day after the fifth day of a single trial, statewide.
• Indiana: $90 a day from the sixth day of a trial.
• North Carolina: $40 a day after five days, counted over any 24-month period.
• Wyoming: after more than five consecutive court days, the judge may add $20 a day, for $50 in all.
• Ohio: county commissioners may pay up to twice the regular rate for later days of a long trial.
• Oklahoma: a Lengthy Trial Fund may pay up to $200 a day from the eleventh day to jurors whose employers pay less than full wages.
• Texas: with the parties' agreement, the judge can raise the daily amount for a particular trial.

Louisiana and Mississippi have lengthy-trial funds on the books that could pay up to $300 a day, but each takes effect only when the legislature funds it. Many states have no long-trial rate at all, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Virginia and West Virginia.

Mileage and travel

Mileage is often worth more than the daily fee, but the rules vary widely.

Generous or automatic. Federal jurors get a round-trip travel allowance; two districts list 76 cents a mile. South Dakota pays $0.76 a mile round trip. Alabama pays $.625 a mile on top of its $25 daily allowance. Montana ties its rate to the IRS mileage allowance.

Only for long drives. Alaska pays mileage only if you drive more than 30 miles one way. Nevada pays 36.5 cents a mile only if you live 30 miles or more from the court. New Mexico pays for travel over forty miles round trip. Utah pays nothing for the first 50 miles, then $1 for every four miles. New Hampshire pays $.20 a mile only if you have to leave the town where you live.

No mileage at all. Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and Virginia pay no separate mileage, and Florida's clerks pay no mileage, parking or other expenses. Rhode Island pays no mileage but gives serving jurors free bus vouchers on request. Many courthouses offer free juror parking or transit passes instead; check your summons.

How juror pay fits with your employer's pay

Where an employer keeps paying you, the court often pays less, or nothing:

• Colorado and Massachusetts: your employer pays for the first three days, then the state pays $50 a day.
• Connecticut: your employer pays full-time workers for the first five days, then the state pays $50 a day.
• District of Columbia: $57 a day if your job doesn't pay you, but only a $7 travel stipend if it does.
• Oregon: a juror whose employer keeps paying wages must give up the juror fee, unless an employment agreement says otherwise, but can still claim mileage.
• Vermont: if your employer keeps paying you, you can't also collect the juror fee.
• Wisconsin and Nebraska: an employer that keeps paying you may take the juror fee, but not your mileage.
• California: the Judicial Council notes you may have to hand your juror fees to your employer, depending on its policy.

For which jurisdictions require employers to pay, and for how long, see Can my employer fire me?.

Is juror pay taxable?

A few of our pages address this, and they agree that the daily fee counts as income. In federal court, the Southern District of New York says the attendance fee is taxable and the travel payment is not. Hawaii's Judiciary says juror pay is taxable income and issues a 1099 form if you receive more than $600. Philadelphia's court in Pennsylvania says juror fees should be reported to the IRS and issues a Form 1099-MISC to anyone paid $600 or more in a year. For other states, ask a tax professional or check your court's jury page.

Recent raises and experiments

Pay has been rising in some states. Hawaii raised its daily rate from $30 to $50 on July 1, 2026. Oklahoma raised its rate from $20 to $50 in 2023, and Maryland doubled its rate to $30 on October 1, 2022.

Others have tested higher pay. Washington's Pierce County paid jurors $100 a day instead of $10 in a pilot that ran from October 2024 into spring 2025, then returned to $10. Minnesota's Judicial Branch asked the Legislature in January 2025 to raise juror pay from $20 to $100 a day, but the increase wasn't funded. California repealed its juror pay pilot in 2025.

Juror pay in every jurisdiction

The table lists each jurisdiction's juror pay as its page states it, sorted from the highest typical later-day rate to the lowest.

Frequently asked questions

Which state pays jurors the most?

North Dakota, at $100 a day, or $50 for a short first day of four hours or less. Indiana pays $80 a day on a trial and $90 from the sixth day, and New York pays $72 a day.

Which state pays jurors the least?

Missouri's minimum is $6 a day plus mileage, though counties may add to it and jurors on a trial often get $18. New Jersey pays $5 a day for the first three days of a trial. Tennessee's minimum is $10 a day, and the state courts say most Washington counties pay $10.

Do you get paid for the first day of jury duty?

Usually, but not everywhere. Alaska and California don't pay for the first day, and Nevada doesn't pay for the first two days of jury selection. Several states, such as Texas and Utah, pay less on the first day than on later ones.

Is jury duty pay taxable?

The courts that address it say yes. The federal Southern District of New York, Hawaii's Judiciary and Philadelphia's court in Pennsylvania all treat juror fees as income. Hawaii issues a 1099 form if you receive more than $600, and Philadelphia if you're paid $600 or more in a year. Mileage is treated differently; the Southern District of New York says the travel payment isn't taxable.

Do jurors get paid mileage?

In most states, yes, but the rules differ. Some pay every juror for the round trip; others pay only past a set distance, such as 30 miles in Alaska and Nevada or 50 miles in Utah. Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and Virginia pay no separate mileage.

Can my employer keep my jury pay?

In some states. In Wisconsin and Nebraska, an employer that keeps paying your wages may take the juror fee but not your mileage. In Oregon and Vermont, you give up the fee if your employer keeps paying you. Elsewhere it depends on your employer's policy.

Related pages

• Jury duty in every state
• Can my employer fire me for jury duty?
• How to get out of jury duty
• What happens if you miss jury duty
• Jury duty scams
• Federal jury duty