Jury pay hasn't kept up with inflation for over 50 years. What started as a modest civic stipend is now a major financial burden for American workers.
If you've recently received a summons, you might have been shocked to see that the court will only pay you $10 or $15 a day for your time. In an era where a single fast-food meal costs more than that, it's natural to wonder: Why is jury duty pay so absurdly low?
The primary reason juror compensation is so low is that these rates were established decades ago and have rarely been updated. In many states, the $10 or $15 rate was set in the 1960s or 1970s. Back then, minimum wage was under $2.00 an hour, and $15 could actually cover lunch, parking, and gas. Legislatures simply never indexed these rates to inflation.
When politicians are asked why juror pay isn't raised, the standard response is that jury duty is a "civic duty," much like voting or paying taxes. It is not meant to be a job or a wage replacement. The small stipend is theoretically just meant to offset incidental expenses like transit, not your missed salary.
State and county court systems are chronically underfunded. Raising juror pay from $15 to $50 a day would cost millions of dollars annually. For local governments already struggling to pay for judges, clerks, and courthouse maintenance, increasing juror pay is rarely a political priority.
Yes. There is a growing movement for "Jury Pay Reform." States like Colorado and New York are piloting programs to pay low-income jurors the local minimum wage, recognizing that paying $15 a day leads to disproportionately wealthy and retired juries, which violates the right to a jury of one's "peers."
Jury pay is low because state legislatures haven't updated the laws since the 1970s, citing budget constraints and the belief that jury service is an unpaid civic duty.