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Federal Jobs Guide
Understanding Federal Pay
The U.S. federal government is the nation's largest employer, with approximately 2.3 million civilian workers. Federal pay is governed by a set of structured systems designed to provide consistent compensation across hundreds of agencies and thousands of job types. This guide explains how those systems work and what OPM FedScope data reveals about actual pay distribution.
Source: OPM FedScope (March 2025) · 8 min read OPM FedScope (March 2025) · 8 min read
The Three Main Federal Pay Systems
Federal civilian pay is not one-size-fits-all. OPM administers several distinct pay systems, each designed for a different category of worker. The three you will encounter most in FedScope data are the General Schedule, the Senior Executive Service, and the Wage Grade system.
General Schedule (GS)
The GS system covers roughly 1.5 million white-collar employees, the majority of the federal civilian workforce. It uses 15 grades (GS-1 through GS-15) with 10 steps per grade. Jobs ranging from administrative assistants (GS-5) to senior scientists and attorneys (GS-15) fall under this system. Congress sets base GS pay tables; OPM then applies locality pay adjustments by geographic area.
Senior Executive Service (SES)
The SES covers approximately 8,000 senior managers and executives who lead the major programs and operations of federal agencies. SES pay is set as a range, in 2025, running from roughly $148,000 to $235,100 (capped at the Vice President's salary). Unlike GS employees, SES members are not automatically tied to a locality pay area; their pay is instead managed within the SES pay band by their agency.
Wage Grade (WG) / Federal Wage System
The Wage Grade system covers blue-collar and trades workers, mechanics, electricians, plumbers, machinists, and similar occupations. WG pay rates are set locally by OPM based on prevailing private-sector wages in each wage area. A WG-10 electrician at a Navy base in Norfolk will be paid according to the Hampton Roads wage survey, not a national table. This makes WG salaries more variable by region than GS pay.
Where GS employees sit on the 15-grade scale
The GS workforce is not evenly spread across the 15 grades, it clusters in the mid-to-senior range, peaking at GS-12 with 311,959 employees. Entry grades (GS-1 to GS-4) hold relatively few positions, reflecting a workforce weighted toward experienced professional and technical roles.
How Locality Pay Works
One of the most misunderstood aspects of federal pay is locality pay. The base GS pay table is a national table, but actual take-home pay varies significantly depending on where you work.
OPM publishes 54 locality pay areas for 2025. Each area has its own percentage uplift applied on top of the base GS rate. The purpose: to keep federal salaries competitive with local private-sector wages and prevent recruiting shortfalls in high-cost metro areas.
Example: 2025 Locality Pay Rates (Selected Areas)
This means a GS-12, Step 5 employee earns roughly $126,000 in San Francisco but around $97,000 in a Rest of US location, same grade, same step, different locality supplement. FedScope data captures these locality-adjusted salaries, which is why average salaries for the same agency can differ when you compare states.
What FedScope Data Shows About Pay Distribution
OPM's FedScope dataset provides a detailed picture of how pay is distributed across the federal workforce. Key patterns visible in the data:
- Grade clustering at GS-12 and GS-13: The largest concentration of federal employees falls at the GS-12 and GS-13 levels. These mid-career grades represent experienced specialists and team leads across virtually every agency.
- Agency mission shapes grade distribution: Technical agencies (NASA, NIH, DoD research labs) have more employees at GS-13 through GS-15. Agencies with large public-facing workforces (Social Security Administration, IRS) have heavier concentrations at GS-5 through GS-9.
- Geographic salary variation reflects locality, not grade differences: When you see higher average salaries in DC-area states versus Midwest states, this is primarily the locality supplement at work, not necessarily higher GS grades.
- Length of service correlates with pay: FedScope includes average years of service by agency and occupation. Agencies with older, longer-tenured workforces tend to show higher average salaries because more employees have reached higher step levels within their grade.
Federal Pay vs. Private Sector
A common question is how federal pay compares to private-sector equivalents. The answer depends heavily on which level you examine:
- Entry and mid-career (GS-5 to GS-11): Federal pay often exceeds private-sector equivalents, particularly in lower-cost regions where the GS schedule provides a floor that private employers may not match.
- Senior technical and managerial (GS-14, GS-15, SES): Federal pay typically trails private-sector equivalents, sometimes significantly. The GS-15 cap ($197,200 base in 2026) limits what agencies can pay top technical talent, a factor contributing to hiring challenges in cybersecurity, AI, and financial regulation.
- Total compensation advantage: When federal pension (FERS), Thrift Savings Plan matching, health benefits, and job security are included, total federal compensation packages often exceed private-sector equivalents across most grade levels.
Finance Disclaimer
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, career, or legal advice. Federal pay rates are set by Congress and OPM and may change annually. Always verify current pay rates with official OPM resources at opm.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common federal pay system?
The General Schedule (GS) is the most common, covering roughly 1.5 million white-collar civilian federal employees across 15 grades. Other systems include the Senior Executive Service (SES) for senior managers and the Wage Grade (WG) system for blue-collar trades and labor occupations.
How does locality pay work for federal employees?
Locality pay is a supplement added on top of base GS pay to account for higher living costs in specific metropolitan areas. OPM publishes locality pay areas annually, in 2025 there are 54 locality pay areas. The Rest of US (RUS) rate is the baseline. High-cost areas like San Francisco, New York, and Washington DC receive significantly higher locality supplements, sometimes 30–45% above base pay.
What is the difference between base pay and total compensation for federal employees?
Base pay is the GS salary before any adjustments. Total compensation includes locality pay, benefits (health insurance, life insurance, TSP contributions, pension accrual), and leave value. OPM estimates federal total compensation is approximately 17% above comparable private-sector jobs when benefits are included, though base salaries often lag the private sector.
How does OPM FedScope show pay distribution?
OPM FedScope reports average salaries by agency, occupation, grade, and state. Because FedScope includes locality pay in reported salaries, agency averages vary by geography. For example, a Department of Defense employee in Virginia will show a higher average salary than an equivalent employee in a lower-cost state, reflecting the DC locality supplement rather than a different base grade.
Are SES salaries included in FedScope data?
Yes, SES employees appear in FedScope data. The SES pay range in 2025 runs from ES-1 through ES-6, with maximum pay capped at the Vice President's salary ($235,100 in 2025). SES members often appear in the "SES" pay plan codes rather than GS codes in the underlying data, which is why some agencies show unusually high average salaries, they have a higher concentration of SES positions.
Why do average salaries differ so much between agencies?
Several factors drive agency salary differences: mission complexity (technical agencies like NASA or NIH need more senior specialists), geographic concentration (agencies headquartered in high-locality areas like DC pay more), workforce seniority (older workforces with longer service accumulate higher steps), and occupation mix (an agency with many GS-13 to GS-15 positions will show higher averages than one with many GS-5 to GS-9 entry roles).
Explore PlainGovJobs Data
Data source: OPM FedScope, March 2025. Locality pay rates from OPM Pay & Leave. This page is updated as new FedScope data is released.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, figures are sourced from published program rules and verified against primary sources. This guide explains the federal pay, informed by official OPM data and program rules. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.