Highest-Paying Federal Jobs
A ranking of the top federal civilian occupations by average salary, based on OPM FedScope data covering 2.1 million federal employees. Includes the agencies that employ each occupation, pay ceiling, and what drives compensation in each field.
Source: OPM FedScope March 2025 · OPM GS Pay Tables 2025 · 8 min read OPM FedScope March 2025 · OPM GS Pay Tables 2025 · 8 min read
Compiled by the " research team.
Key Takeaway
Federal salaries top out at $165,800 (GS-15 Step 10 base) for most positions, capped at $191,900 by Executive Schedule limits. But healthcare professionals in VA and IHS, intelligence community specialists, and law enforcement with availability pay often exceed these levels. The highest federal salaries go to physicians, senior attorneys at regulatory agencies, and cybersecurity engineers — all in fields where federal agencies compete directly with the private sector.
Top 20 Highest-Paying Federal Occupations
Average salaries below reflect total base pay (including any applicable special pay rates and locality pay) but exclude overtime, bonuses, and law enforcement availability pay unless otherwise noted. Figures are based on OPM FedScope employee-level data for March 2025.
| # | Occupation | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Officer (0602) VA / DoD | $243,800 |
| 2 | Attorney (0905) DOJ / SEC / FTC | $186,500 |
| 3 | Computer Engineer (0854) NSA / DoD / DHS | $162,400 |
| 4 | IT Specialist – INFOSEC (2210) NSA / CISA / DoD | $158,900 |
| 5 | Economist (0110) Fed Reserve / BEA / BLS | $156,200 |
| 6 | General Engineer (0801) NASA / DoE / Army Corps | $153,700 |
| 7 | Contract Specialist (1102) DoD / GSA / NASA | $149,800 |
| 8 | Intelligence Analyst (0132) CIA / DIA / NSA | $148,600 |
| 9 | Financial Manager (0505) Treasury / DoD / OMB | $146,900 |
| 10 | Nurse Practitioner (0603) VA | $145,200 |
| 11 | Pharmacist (0660) VA / IHS | $144,800 |
| 12 | Patent Examiner (1224) USPTO | $141,300 |
| 13 | Operations Research Analyst (1515) DoD / OMB | $138,900 |
| 14 | Criminal Investigator (1811) FBI / DEA / ATF | $136,500 |
| 15 | Supervisory Program Manager (0340) HHS / DHS / Treasury | $134,200 |
| 16 | Data Scientist (1560) Census / DoD / IRS | $133,800 |
| 17 | Air Traffic Controller (2152) FAA | $132,700 |
| 18 | Nuclear Engineer (0840) NRC / DoE / Navy | $131,900 |
| 19 | Management Analyst (0343) OMB / GSA / DoD | $128,600 |
| 20 | Veterinarian (0701) USDA / FDA / DoD | $127,400 |
Averages are approximate and reflect all employees in the occupation series across all grade levels and localities. Actual pay varies by grade, step, and locality area. Source: OPM FedScope March 2025.
Compiled by the " research team.
Why Some Federal Jobs Pay More
The federal pay system is not a free market — pay is set by Congress and OPM, not supply and demand. However, the government has created several mechanisms to compete for talent in high-demand fields:
- Special Salary Rates: OPM can authorize above-standard GS rates for occupations where private sector competition makes standard pay inadequate. IT, engineering, and healthcare occupations at certain agencies have special rate tables that may add 10–30% above standard GS.
- Title 38 Authority (VA/IHS): The Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service set clinical pay outside the GS system under Title 38 of U.S. Code. Physician pay at VA is based on market surveys and can significantly exceed GS-15 maximums.
- Locality Pay: The 54 OPM-designated locality areas add 17% to 44% to base GS pay. San Francisco, New York, and Washington DC locality supplements push GS-15 salaries well above the base table figures.
- Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP): A mandatory 25% supplement for criminal investigators and certain other law enforcement positions. A GS-13 special agent earning $100,000 base takes home $125,000 before locality.
- Senior Executive Service (SES): The top tier of federal management. SES pay ranges from approximately $149,000 to $235,600 depending on agency performance system. About 8,000 federal employees are in SES.
The Pay Ceiling Problem
Most federal salaries are capped at the Executive Schedule Level IV pay rate — $191,900 in 2025. This affects GS-15 employees in high-cost localities: their base GS pay plus locality supplement would exceed $191,900, so they are capped at that level.
This cap creates compression between grades at the top. A GS-15, Step 1 employee in San Francisco earns approximately the same as a GS-15, Step 10 employee in the same city — because both hit the cap. This reduces the financial incentive to advance within GS-15 in high-cost areas.
Federal agencies dealing with severe technical talent shortages — particularly in cybersecurity, AI research, and healthcare — have sought expanded use of special pay authorities to work around GS limitations, including demonstration projects that remove specific occupations from standard GS caps.
High-Paying Agencies to Target
Beyond the occupation, the agency matters. Some agencies are known for higher average pay because of their mission, workforce mix, and use of special pay authorities:
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): Largest federal employer of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists under Title 38. Average pay for clinical professionals significantly above GS equivalents.
- Intelligence Community (CIA, NSA, DIA, NGA): Use separate pay authorities and classified pay tables. Salaries often exceed standard GS by 15–25% for technical and analytical roles.
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO): Special pay for patent examiners and production bonuses. Highly sought after for legal and technical professionals.
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): Aviation-related positions are under separate pay systems. Air traffic controllers earn well above GS equivalents.
- Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Uses a pay parity authority (Securities Act Section 4) to pay attorneys and economists near FINRA/private levels — well above standard GS.
Browse agency profiles on PlainGovJobs to see average pay and occupation mix for each federal agency.
Total Compensation vs. Salary
Base salary is only part of federal total compensation. The federal benefits package — historically strong compared to private sector equivalents — adds significant value:
- Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS): Three components: FERS annuity (1% of high-3 salary × years of service), Thrift Savings Plan with up to 5% government match, and Social Security. Estimated value: 15–25% of salary.
- Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB): Government pays about 72% of premiums for the 2nd-lowest cost plan. Premium savings worth $8,000–$15,000/year for family coverage.
- Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI): 1× annual salary at low group rates.
- Paid leave: 13–26 days annual leave (based on years of service) plus 13 sick days per year, plus 11 federal holidays.
A Congressional Budget Office analysis found that when total compensation (not just wages) is compared, federal employees are roughly at parity with private sector counterparts at the high school education level and slightly below at the advanced degree level.
Salary Disclaimer
Salary figures in this guide are averages from OPM FedScope data and are provided for informational purposes only. Individual pay depends on grade, step, locality area, and agency pay system. Special pay authorities, bonuses, and Title 38 pay are not uniformly captured in all FedScope fields. Verify current rates at opm.gov.
Salary mechanics: how the top-paying numbers actually work
The ceilings on federal physician, scientist, and senior cyber roles are not single numbers — they are the product of several pay authorities stacked together. Understanding the stack helps applicants estimate realistic offer ranges before the interview.
Title 38 vs General Schedule for clinicians
VHA physicians fall under Title 38, which decouples pay from the GS schedule entirely. A board-certified VA cardiologist commonly earns $325,000 vs $185,000 for the comparable GS-15 ceiling — Title 38 is the single largest pay-authority gap in the federal workforce.
Critical-pay authority for cyber and IT
DHS-CISA and DoD-CYBERCOM use the Cybersecurity Talent Management System, which authorizes salaries up to $290,000 vs $191,900 for the equivalent GS-15 Step 10 max — paying market rates for skill-shortage talent without going through the laborious SES nomination process.
Locality pay multipliers
A GS-15 Step 5 base of $145,000 becomes $191,000 in San Francisco vs $158,000 in Atlanta vs $145,000 in Rest-of-US locality — locality pay is the second-largest amplifier after pay-authority choice.
Worked example: total comp for a senior data scientist
Scenario: GS-14 Step 6 Data Scientist, San Francisco locality
Base GS-14 Step 6 (national): $122,500 vs $122,500 same number nationally. Add San Francisco locality multiplier of approximately 45.41%, lifting it to $178,100 vs $158,200 in DC locality. Add critical-skill recruitment incentive worth 10% of base, adding $17,810 vs $0 for non-critical roles. Total cash compensation: roughly $195,910 vs $158,200 same-grade DC equivalent — a $37,710 advantage entirely from locality + incentive stacking, before retirement value.
| Pay component | GS-14 SF | GS-14 DC | GS-14 ROUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $178,100 | $158,200 | $140,400 |
| Critical-skill incentive (10%) | $17,810 | $15,820 | $14,040 |
| Health-plan employer share | $12,500 | $12,500 | $12,500 |
| TSP 5% match | $8,905 | $7,910 | $7,020 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest possible federal civilian salary?
The GS pay scale tops out at GS-15, Step 10, which is $165,800 in base pay for 2025 (before locality). With the highest locality supplement (San Francisco, 44.15%), the theoretical maximum GS salary is approximately $238,994 — but in practice, pay for most GS-15 employees is capped at the Executive Schedule Level IV limit ($191,900 in 2025). Positions above GS-15 fall under the Senior Executive Service (SES), which has a pay band ranging from the Executive Schedule Level IV minimum to $235,600 for career SES in the highest performance systems.
Do doctors and nurses working for the federal government use the GS pay scale?
Not always. The VA and Indian Health Service use Title 38 authority to set pay for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other clinical professionals outside the GS system. Title 38 pay is set by the agency based on market rates and can exceed what the GS scale would otherwise provide. VA physicians, for example, are typically paid well above GS-15 maximums. The figures in this guide reflect average salaries from OPM FedScope data, which covers all civilian pay systems including Title 38.
Are federal salaries competitive with private sector pay?
It depends heavily on the occupation and experience level. A 2023 Congressional Budget Office report found that federal workers earn, on average, about 5% less in total compensation than private sector counterparts with similar education and experience — but this hides large variation. Federal salaries are competitive or better for workers without college degrees and for mid-level professionals. They are significantly below private sector rates for senior technology, legal, and financial professionals — which drives federal recruitment challenges in those fields.
What is "law enforcement availability pay" and how does it affect salary?
Federal law enforcement officers (criminal investigators, GS-1811 series, and certain other positions) receive Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) — a 25% premium added to their base pay in exchange for being available for unscheduled duty. This significantly boosts total compensation: a GS-13, Step 5 base of about $100,000 becomes approximately $125,000 with LEAP before locality. Federal law enforcement officers also receive an enhanced retirement benefit (1.7% per year vs. the standard 1% for the first 20 years).
How do I find federal jobs in high-paying occupations?
USAJobs.gov (usajobs.gov) is the official federal job board and the only place agencies are required to post competitive service positions. Search by job series (e.g., "0854" for computer engineer) or by salary range. Use the "GS grade" filter to focus on GS-12 and above for positions in the higher-paying ranges. Note that intelligence community positions (CIA, NSA, DIA) are often posted on agency-specific career sites rather than USAJobs. Explore occupation and agency data on PlainGovJobs to understand which agencies hire the most in a given field before applying.
Do federal employees receive bonuses on top of base salary?
Yes, though bonuses are modest compared to private sector equivalents. The main bonus mechanisms are: (1) Performance awards — typically 1–3% of salary for employees rated "Fully Successful" and 2–5% for higher ratings. (2) Quality step increases (QSI) — an accelerated within-grade increase for exceptional performance, equivalent to raising your step by one. (3) Recruitment, retention, and relocation incentives — up to 25% of base pay per year, authorized at agency discretion for hard-to-fill positions. SES members in certified performance appraisal systems can receive up to 20% of base pay as performance bonuses.
Explore PlainGovJobs Data
Understanding the Data
The information presented throughout this guide is informed by publicly available public records published by federal and state government agencies. Our database aggregates and standardizes these records to make them more accessible and easier to interpret for general audiences. When we reference specific statistics or trends, they are drawn directly from these authoritative sources unless explicitly noted otherwise.
It is important to understand the limitations of any large-scale data dataset. Records may contain errors from the original data collection process, some fields may be incomplete for older entries, and classification systems may have changed over time. Our analysis accounts for these factors by clearly labeling data vintage, flagging records with missing critical fields, and noting when temporal comparisons span methodology changes in the source data.
For readers who want to conduct their own research, we recommend going directly to the source whenever possible. federal and state government agencies provides detailed documentation on collection methodology, sampling frames, and known data quality issues. Our goal is not to replace primary sources but to make them more approachable and to highlight patterns that may not be immediately obvious when browsing raw records.
How We Analyze Data Records
Our analytical approach involves several steps designed to surface meaningful insights from large datasets. First, we clean and standardize the raw data, handling variations in naming conventions, date formats, and categorical labels. Then we compute summary statistics, distributions, and comparative benchmarks across relevant dimensions such as geography, time period, and category type.
Key metrics we examine include statistical records, geographic distributions, temporal trends. These indicators provide a multi-dimensional view of each entity in our database, allowing users to understand not just individual records but how they compare to peers, regional averages, and national benchmarks. We believe this contextual approach is far more valuable than presenting raw numbers in isolation.
Data sources: OPM FedScope (March 2025), OPM 2025 GS Pay Tables, Congressional Budget Office — "Comparing the Compensation of Federal and Private-Sector Employees."
