Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators (2026 stats)
TL;DR
The national workforce is about 7,860 arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators. Projections imply about 0.8% annual decline; much hiring sits in federal, state, and local government, including state and local government schools and hospitals and the u.s. postal service (oews designation).
Key Statistics
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators: what the data shows
Common questions about arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators?
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 23-1022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 7,860 workers.
What does a arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Analyzing Data or Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $67,710 (May 2024 in our extract).
What education do you need?
For Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Negotiation, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including English Language, Law and Government, Personnel and Human Resources, Psychology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -4.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -7.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 7,860.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do arbitrators, mediators, and conciliatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 7,860 | 27.0% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 3,140 | 10.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,720 | 9.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 2,720 | 9.3% |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,870 | 6.4% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 1,430 | 4.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | 747,750 | $151,160 |
| Paralegals | 367,220 | $61,010 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 25,580 | $156,210 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators workforce.
Employment Over Time
7,860 Workforce in 2023
The Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$N/A Average Wage
In 2023, Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators earned an average of $N/A.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Salary distribution for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,631 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -4.0%
2,526 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -7.8%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Wage Trends by Industry
37.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 660 employees, $55,730 avg wage
- NY: 560 employees, $94,670 avg wage
- WI: 240 employees, $74,900 avg wage
- PA: 230 employees, $73,250 avg wage
- MI: 210 employees, $78,400 avg wage
- MA: 190 employees, N/A avg wage
- AZ: 150 employees, $80,080 avg wage
- NC: 110 employees, $74,000 avg wage
- MD: 90 employees, $70,060 avg wage
- CO: 60 employees, $73,360 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 410 employees, $95,630 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 200 employees, $104,570 avg wage
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 150 employees, $57,780 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 140 employees, $56,670 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 120 employees, $84,760 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 110 employees, $59,740 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 110 employees, $102,200 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 100 employees, $91,890 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 100 employees, $77,410 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 90 employees, $122,350 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators in 2023 was 7,860 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators workers.
Education level distribution for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Skills
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators need many skills, but most especially Negotiation, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators include English Language, Law and Government, Personnel and Human Resources, Psychology, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators include Written Expression, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
Daily Activities
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Analyzing Data or Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
Most important work activities for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators.
About
Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators
The average yearly wage for Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators was $N/A in 2023.
SOC Code
23-1022 - Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators
Insights and Analysis
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 7,860 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.