A Georgia district attorney earns a state-funded base salary of roughly $120,072 per year, plus a county supplement that varies widely from one judicial circuit to the next.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-10 – Compensation of District Attorneys; Private Practice of Law Prohibited Additional supplements are available for DAs whose circuits run accountability courts or whose offices handle child support recovery. Total compensation therefore depends less on the statewide base than on where the DA serves.
The State Base Salary
Under O.C.G.A. 15-18-10, every district attorney in Georgia receives an annual salary paid from state funds. The statute does not lock in a dollar figure. The General Assembly sets the amount through the annual appropriations process, so the base can shift each budget cycle without any change to the underlying code.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-10 – Compensation of District Attorneys; Private Practice of Law Prohibited
The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia administers those state-funded payments and maintains salary schedules for state-paid positions inside DA offices. The schedules follow a step-based structure with a minimum entry step and at least ten additional steps up to a maximum, similar to the framework the State Personnel Board uses for other state employees. When lawmakers authorize across-the-board increases in the appropriations act, the Council revises its schedules to match.2Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-19 – State Paid Personnel; Salary Schedules
County Supplements
The county or counties within a judicial circuit can add to the state salary. The supplement is set either by a local act of the General Assembly or by the county governing authority, whichever produces the higher figure.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-10 – Compensation of District Attorneys; Private Practice of Law Prohibited This is where the real variation in DA pay comes from. A metro county with a large tax base can add tens of thousands of dollars. A rural circuit spread across several small counties may add very little.
There is a cap at the top end. Since January 1, 2016, any district attorney already receiving a total county supplement of $50,000 or more cannot have that supplement increased any further. The same freeze applies to state-paid positions within the DA’s office.3Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-10.1 – Annual Accountability Court Supplement The highest-paying circuits are effectively locked in place at their 2016 supplement levels, while lower-paying ones can still raise theirs.
Accountability Court Supplement
A district attorney whose circuit has established a drug court, mental health court, or veterans court receives a separate state-funded supplement of $6,000 per year. The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council pays it in equal monthly installments alongside regular compensation.3Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-10.1 – Annual Accountability Court Supplement
This supplement carries guardrails. It cannot be folded into the calculations that set assistant district attorney or victim assistance coordinator pay, both of which are often defined as a percentage of the DA’s salary. If a local law ties another official’s compensation to the DA’s, the accountability court supplement is excluded from that math as well.3Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-10.1 – Annual Accountability Court Supplement The $6,000 rewards the DA managing specialty courts without triggering pay increases across the rest of the circuit.
Child Support Services Supplement
Counties can also authorize an additional supplement for district attorneys who provide child support recovery services, a responsibility that sits on top of ordinary prosecutorial duties.4Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-11 – Supplementation of Salary for Child Support Services The amount is left to the authorizing county.
Why Total Pay Varies So Much by Circuit
The dual funding model, state base plus local supplement, guarantees uneven outcomes. County wealth is the biggest driver. A metro Atlanta county with a large tax base can offer a generous supplement to attract experienced prosecutors. A rural circuit spanning several small counties may have almost nothing to add.
Cost of living plays a role, though not as neatly as one might expect. Metro districts pay more, but higher housing and living costs partially offset the supplement. Rural districts pay less in regions where expenses are lower, yet the pay gap often exceeds what cost-of-living differences alone would justify.
Caseload intensity varies too. Urban circuits handle higher volumes of violent crime, complex fraud, and gang prosecutions. Rural circuits often have lower volume but fewer staff covering a geographically sprawling territory. The compensation difference between them can be stark either way.
The Private Practice Ban
Georgia district attorneys are prohibited from engaging in the private practice of law. The ban sits in the same statute that establishes their compensation, O.C.G.A. 15-18-10.1Justia. Georgia Code 15-18-10 – Compensation of District Attorneys; Private Practice of Law Prohibited Unlike some government attorneys who can supplement their income with outside legal work, a Georgia DA depends entirely on the official salary and authorized supplements. There is no side income to fill a gap if public pay lags.
Federal Programs That Add Value to a DA Salary
Two federal programs meaningfully change the compensation picture for prosecutors carrying law school debt.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
District attorneys and assistant DAs employed full-time by a government office qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. After 120 qualifying monthly payments on eligible federal Direct Loans while working full-time for a qualifying employer, the remaining balance is forgiven. Full-time for PSLF means averaging at least 30 hours per week, and the 120 payments do not need to be consecutive.5Federal Student Aid. Public Service Loan Forgiveness FAQs
John R. Justice Loan Repayment Program
The John R. Justice Program provides direct loan repayment assistance to state prosecutors and public defenders who commit to at least three years in their positions. Eligible prosecutors must be full-time employees of a state or local government unit and hold a current law license.6Bureau of Justice Assistance. John R. Justice Program Overview Georgia applies for these federal formula grants annually and distributes the funds to qualifying attorneys across the state.
Recent Changes to Watch
Two developments may shift DA compensation going forward.
In 2025, the General Assembly passed HB 85, restructuring judicial pay and significantly raising superior court judge salaries. Many local laws in Georgia tie county officials’ salaries to a superior court judge’s base pay, and the raise threatened to push some linked officials’ total compensation close to $300,000 automatically. HB 85 included a freeze suspending any local-law salary increase that would have been triggered by the judicial pay bump. For judges other than superior court judges, the freeze lifts on July 1, 2026. For other linked positions, the pause has no set end date. Any district attorney whose local supplement is calculated as a percentage of a superior court judge’s salary should check whether the freeze applies.
Separately, the FY 2025 budget (HB 916) directed the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council and the Public Defenders Council to work toward a unified pay scale for assistant district attorneys and assistant public defenders. The State Commission on Compensation was tasked with researching salary plans for both positions and reporting final recommendations by August 2024 for consideration in the FY 2026 budget. Any resulting changes still depend on General Assembly appropriations.