Contractor - Federal Salaries of 2016

Pay Rates for "Contractor"

How much does a Contractor in the federal government get paid? $97,832.23* *Based on the 2016 average.

12,717 EMPLOYEES

$1.24B TOTAL SALARY

GS MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

Contractor was the 26th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2016, with 12,717 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.

In 2016, the Veterans Health Administration hired the most employees titled Contracting, with an average salary of $77,725.

Government Contracting jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. Remember that the starting and maximum yearly pay listed above reflect base pay only - your actual salary will be higher based on the Locality Pay Adjustment for the area in which you work.

Job Description

This occupation includes positions that manage, supervise, perform, or develop policies and procedures for professional work involving the procurement of supplies, services, construction, or research and development using formal advertising or negotiation procedures; the evaluation of contract price proposals; and the administration or termination and close out of contracts. The work requires knowledge of the legislation, regulations, and methods used in contracting; and knowledge of business and industry practices, sources of supply, cost factors, and requirements characteristics.

Agencies that have hired a Contractor

Agency	Employees Hired	Average Salary
Veterans Health Administration	1,984	$77,725.13
Federal Acquisition Service	941	$99,614.77
Public Buildings Service	691	$92,368.48
Department of Energy	624	$106,144.35
National Institutes of Health	471	$102,277.86
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Logistics	469	$96,511.12
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System	308	$76,558.78
U.S. Agency for International Development	305	$106,213.83
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	277	$109,780.05
Forest Service	273	$88,194.42
Environmental Protection Agency	260	$108,790.89
Federal Aviation Administration	254	$106,692.92
National Park Service	248	$84,431.79
Internal Revenue Service	235	$116,841.48
Department of State	231	$111,444.12
Office of the Secretary of the Interior	182	$102,486.35
Goddard Space Flight Center	161	$110,103.71
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	159	$100,685.57
Federal Emergency Management Agency	154	$105,705.32
Customs and Border Protection	150	$114,953.29
Bureau of Reclamation	139	$79,360.05
Immigration and Customs Enforcement	132	$111,605.03
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	122	$110,721.85
Transportation Security Administration	119	$112,860.97
Indian Health Service	118	$83,961.23
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	103	$96,646.27
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	101	$101,381.19
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology	100	$70,977.30
Bureau of Land Management	95	$79,786.82
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	90	$85,810.80
Food and Drug Administration	90	$101,625.00
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center	86	$100,062.23
John F. Kennedy Space Center	86	$97,053.72
Bureau of the Fiscal Service	82	$72,294.62
Social Security Administration	80	$104,590.88
Office of the Chief Procurement Officer	80	$113,275.04
Federal Bureau of Investigation	78	$112,036.22
Headquarters, Nasa	76	$118,626.58
Office Secretary Health and Human Services	73	$112,503.11
Geological Survey	72	$88,778.36
Federal Student Aid	69	$114,099.13
Small Business Administration	69	$109,122.83
National Institute of Standards and Technology	65	$107,468.52
National Protection and Programs Directorate	61	$103,496.36
Citizenship and Immigration Services	59	$87,145.27
Federal Highway Administration	57	$95,615.63
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Education)	56	$107,191.96
Agricultural Research Service	54	$90,029.96
Office Assistant Secretary Administration and Management	53	$105,275.17
Indian Affairs	50	$85,224.34
Ames Research Center	47	$116,810.19
Securities and Exchange Commission	47	$146,010.38
Office of the Secretary (Department of Veterans Affairs)	46	$118,135.20
Departmental Administration	46	$113,056.80
Office of Secretary of Transportation	44	$110,575.61
Program Support Center	44	$101,308.14
Veterans Benefits Administration	42	$87,119.17
Office of Personnel Management	42	$107,293.83
Offices, Boards and Divisions	41	$123,464.24
Rural Housing Service	40	$85,205.43
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	37	$165,425.38
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers	37	$92,997.57
John Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field	37	$95,600.14
Langley Research Center	37	$108,508.24
Bureau of Engraving and Printing	35	$96,750.31
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	35	$121,950.34
U.S. Marshals Service	35	$111,475.09
Patent and Trademark Office	34	$111,159.35
Employment and Training Administration	34	$116,312.85
Natural Resources Conservation Service	33	$81,790.61
Farm Service Agency	32	$90,814.47
Office of Governmentwide Policy	32	$136,903.81
Bureau of the Census	31	$100,368.71
Health Resources and Services Administration	31	$114,267.06
National Cemetery Administration	30	$94,444.17
U.S. Mint	28	$101,475.50
Maritime Administration	27	$99,771.26
Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement	27	$106,639.85
John C. Stennis Space Center	26	$98,457.85
Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys and the Office of U.s Attorneys	25	$86,106.44
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service	25	$87,147.44
National Science Foundation	23	$126,303.70
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	22	$121,309.05
Office of Administrative Services	20	$105,159.10
Agricultural Marketing Service	20	$94,385.35
Broadcasting Board of Governors	19	$105,195.95
Government Printing Office	18	$104,032.00
Smithsonian Institution (Exchange Sep Boards of Trust)	18	$97,946.17
Office of the Secretary (Department of Commerce)	17	$124,546.88
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives	17	$113,918.06
Peace Corps	17	$110,400.59
Millennium Challenge Corporation	16	$133,445.06
Dryden Flight Research Center	16	$113,993.88
National Archives and Records Administration	16	$107,833.56
Office of Comptroller of Currency	16	$123,341.25
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration	15	$98,104.80
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration	15	$110,892.53
Office of Justice Programs	15	$93,904.80
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality	14	$101,839.79
U.S. Secret Service	14	$114,610.36
Drug Enforcement Administration	14	$118,364.00
Bureau of Labor Statistics	14	$101,189.36
Mine Safety and Health Administration	14	$97,439.14
Food and Nutrition Service	13	$109,877.08
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection	12	$500.00
Corporation for National and Community Service	12	$103,871.33
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board	11	$115,092.36
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration	10	$112,229.70
Federal Railroad Administration	10	$104,265.80
Office of Administration	10	$120,750.50
Federal Communications Commission	10	$125,054.80
Food Safety and Inspection Service	10	$106,126.90
Consumer Product Safety Commission	9	$106,706.89
Federal Transit Administration	9	$118,801.44
Pipeline/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration	9	$104,203.33
Federal Housing Finance Agency	8	$176,059.38
National Transportation Safety Board	8	$102,819.88
Departmental Offices	7	$136,288.29
Office of Management and Budget	7	$139,836.29
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	7	$113,384.86
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	7	$126,046.86
Federal Trade Commission	7	$105,641.00
Railroad Retirement Board	6	$100,034.17
National Gallery of Art	6	$143,937.67
U.S. International Trade Commission	6	$93,597.17
Export-Import Bank of the United States	6	$114,473.17
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Agriculture)	6	$75,349.50
Commodity Futures Trading Commission	6	$157,648.67
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	6	$106,309.00
U.S. Coast Guard	6	$112,327.50
Technology Transformation Service	5	$116,879.20
Inspector General (Department of Veterans Affairs)	5	$113,607.80
National Labor Relations Board	5	$126,049.40
Office of the Director	5	$110,082.00
Pretrial Services Agency	5	$99,965.00
National Credit Union Administration	4	$151,244.50
Office of Small Business Utilization	4	$113,544.75
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement	4	$106,083.25
Executive Office for Immigration Review	4	$108,195.75
U.S. Trustee Program	3	$122,883.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Labor)	3	$116,339.33
Wage and Hour Division	3	$114,540.33
Trade and Development Agency	3	$110,249.00
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum	3	$108,526.00
National Telecommunications and Information Administration	3	$160,300.00
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts	3	$62,850.33
Office of Inspector General (Department of Housing and Urban Development)	3	$120,451.00
Federal Election Commission	3	$101,464.67
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation	3	$73,709.00
Office of Inspector General for Tax Administration	3	$100,931.33
Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program	2	$103,007.00
Office of the Chief Information Officer (Department of Agriculture)	2	$102,868.00
National Endowment for the Arts	2	$110,535.00
Institute of Museum and Library Services	2	$108,090.00
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board	2	$116,700.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Justice)	2	$106,374.00
Office of the Deputy Secretary of Education	2	$139,269.50
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	2	$126,333.50
Presidio Trust	2	$104,860.00
Office of the Human Resources Management	2	$53,435.00
Office of Inspector General (General Services Administration)	2	$92,145.00
International Boundary & Water Commission: U.S. & Mexico	2	$72,196.00
Administration for Children and Families	2	$102,771.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Homeland Security)	2	$127,036.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Interior)	2	$95,103.50
Federal Maritime Commission	2	$117,387.50
Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission	1	$53,435.00
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation	1	$129,723.00
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars	1	$77,579.00
Selective Service System	1	$100,736.00
Office of Inspector General (Department of Health and Human Services)	1	$130,666.00
Office of Inspector General (Federal Housing Finance Agency)	1	$126,858.00
Foreign Agricultural Service	1	$117,472.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Agriculture)	1	$90,404.00
Architectural & Transportation Barrier Compliance Board	1	$134,296.00
Commission on Civil Rights	1	$79,734.00
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau	1	$141,555.00
Office of Inspector General (Department of Treasury)	1	$87,821.00
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network	1	$134,296.00
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration	1	$102,173.00
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission	1	$120,500.00
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	1	$104,892.00
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs	1	$127,036.00
National Assessment Governing Board	1	$95,217.00

Contractor Pay Distribution

The average pay for a Contractor is $97,832.23. The highest paid Contractor made $233,556 in 2016.

Common Contractor Payscales

Payscale	Number of Contracting Employees
GS - General Schedule	11,471
FV - Faa Core Compensation Plan	254
SV - Trans Security Admin Emp Other Than Exec	117
GL - Gs Emp Grades 3-10 Paid Leo Special Rate	115
NQ - Nnsa Professional, Technical, And Admin	109
FP - Foreign Service Personnel	102
ZA - Administrative	79
ES - Senior Executive Service	75
FO - Foreign Service Officers	60
SK - Sec Emp Formerly Under Gs, Gm, And Ez	47
IC - Federal Emergency Management Agency Use	40
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule	37
CG - Corporate Graded	33
IR - Irs Broadband Class And Pay System Pos	30
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not E	21
PG - Printing Office Grades	18
MC - Emp Of Millennium Challenge Corporation	16
NB - Ofc Of Comptroller Of The Currency Only	16
CN - Bur Of (cfpb) An Indep Ag Within Frs	12
NY - All Other Positions In The Corporation	11
EN - Nat Nuclear Security Admin Exc Srvc Only	11
EL - Non-executive Positions At Fhfa	9
CT - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Pos	6
SL - Senior Level Positions	4
GM - Emp Covered By Pmrs Termination Provisns	4
FE - Senior Foreign Service	4
CU - Credit Union Employees	4
CM - Fdic Suprv And Mangr Pos Below Exec Lev	4
EJ - Dept Of Energy Org Act Excepted Service	3
SW - Transportation Security Admin Executives	2
CE - Contract Education--year Long	2
NX - Executive-level And Managerial Positions	1

Category:	N/A
Occupation Family:	1100 BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY GROUP

Search for Contracting Jobs

Average Contracting Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021

In 2004, the average pay for a Contractor was $75,790. Since then, the average pay has increased to $109,962 in 2021.

Data Sources

The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.

Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.

The series code of this occupation is 1102.