Contractor - Federal Salaries of 2019

Pay Rates for "Contractor"

How much does a Contractor in the federal government get paid? $105,712.94* *Based on the 2019 average.

12,939 EMPLOYEES

$1.33B TOTAL SALARY

GS MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

Contractor was the 27th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2019, with 12,939 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.

In 2019, the Veterans Health Administration hired the most employees titled Contracting, with an average salary of $83,374.

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	2,148	$83,373.92
Federal Acquisition Service	1,026	$108,544.21
Public Buildings Service	667	$100,382.03
Department of Energy	590	$112,141.87
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Logistics	488	$103,769.32
U.S. Coast Guard	405	$102,561.06
National Institutes of Health	390	$112,711.61
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	291	$119,643.37
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System	282	$82,857.47
Forest Service	271	$90,643.99
U.S. Agency for International Development	271	$118,027.46
Environmental Protection Agency	252	$113,913.54
Federal Aviation Administration	241	$118,722.61
National Park Service	240	$91,070.06
Department of State	214	$125,402.03
Internal Revenue Service	201	$129,043.93
Office of the Secretary of the Interior	183	$115,455.41
Bureau of Reclamation	161	$85,578.35
Goddard Space Flight Center	158	$117,456.62
Federal Emergency Management Agency	157	$115,258.89
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	151	$108,894.74
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	145	$114,246.80
Customs and Border Protection	145	$133,709.68
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	117	$117,921.89
Indian Health Service	115	$89,008.09
Immigration and Customs Enforcement	115	$127,028.68
Transportation Security Administration	99	$127,470.88
Food and Drug Administration	94	$110,355.24
John F. Kennedy Space Center	93	$103,233.51
Bureau of Land Management	92	$83,550.22
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	90	$104,471.17
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center	88	$103,782.76
Office of the Chief Procurement Officer	82	$119,791.18
Federal Bureau of Investigation	81	$130,179.55
Headquarters, Nasa	76	$126,641.29
Small Business Administration	72	$116,819.51
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	70	$93,008.17
Social Security Administration	69	$108,281.64
Office of Personnel Management	68	$111,499.82
Bureau of the Fiscal Service	68	$75,002.26
Citizenship and Immigration Services	65	$91,294.98
Geological Survey	64	$97,457.33
Federal Highway Administration	61	$107,484.69
Office Secretary Health and Human Services	61	$127,891.17
National Protection and Programs Directorate	59	$113,888.29
Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys and the Office of U.s Attorneys	59	$94,549.75
Federal Student Aid	57	$126,491.67
Office Assistant Secretary Administration and Management	53	$116,947.51
National Institute of Standards and Technology	52	$127,310.00
Program Support Center	49	$111,673.69
Agricultural Research Service	46	$102,219.93
Securities and Exchange Commission	46	$167,749.20
Office of the Secretary (Department of Veterans Affairs)	45	$126,163.13
Langley Research Center	44	$112,203.89
Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs	43	$116,426.47
U.S. Marshals Service	42	$108,761.98
Departmental Administration	42	$124,781.21
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers	41	$99,165.15
Ames Research Center	40	$125,601.98
Fpac Business Center	40	$98,812.75
John Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field	39	$97,836.13
Indian Affairs	39	$94,183.36
Office of Secretary of Transportation	38	$123,684.68
Offices, Boards and Divisions	38	$136,003.87
Patent and Trademark Office	36	$122,767.72
Rural Housing Service	36	$95,236.06
Veterans Benefits Administration	36	$98,416.22
Bureau of Engraving and Printing	36	$112,026.50
Agricultural Marketing Service	35	$100,635.37
Office of Governmentwide Policy	34	$144,573.68
Employment and Training Administration	34	$126,611.59
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation	31	$180,103.90
Bureau of the Census	31	$102,986.00
National Cemetery Administration	31	$101,483.57
Maritime Administration	30	$109,255.27
U.S. Mint	29	$121,033.94
Drug Enforcement Administration	27	$113,199.63
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	27	$133,176.52
Office of the Secretary (Department of Commerce)	25	$130,918.32
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service	24	$98,551.13
John C. Stennis Space Center	23	$97,681.04
Office of Administrative Services	22	$116,710.82
Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement	22	$124,290.91
Dryden Flight Research Center	20	$105,684.20
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives	19	$121,079.63
Smithsonian Institution (Exchange Sep Boards of Trust)	18	$100,930.06
U.S. Secret Service	17	$116,895.71
National Science Foundation	17	$138,592.12
Government Printing Office	16	$119,049.69
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	16	$136,038.38
Millennium Challenge Corporation	16	$152,461.69
Broadcasting Board of Governors	15	$112,554.21
Office of Comptroller of Currency	15	$143,925.33
National Archives and Records Administration	14	$121,007.50
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality	13	$122,401.54
Peace Corps	13	$123,527.38
Bureau of Labor Statistics	12	$119,777.08
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration	12	$112,476.58
Health Resources and Services Administration	12	$140,063.58
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board	12	$121,265.00
Office of Administration	12	$125,425.00
Office of Justice Programs	12	$105,022.58
Corporation for National and Community Service	12	$110,692.00
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection	11	$156,115.91
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration	11	$120,486.45
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration	11	$120,164.55
Food and Nutrition Service	11	$121,453.09
National Telecommunications and Information Administration	10	$150,534.40
Federal Transit Administration	10	$118,918.10
Mine Safety and Health Administration	10	$101,002.80
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	10	$119,717.60
Federal Communications Commission	9	$129,985.67
Pipeline/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration	9	$121,135.67
Federal Railroad Administration	9	$117,260.89
Consumer Product Safety Commission	9	$108,967.67
Food Safety and Inspection Service	8	$110,884.75
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology	8	$74,596.00
National Credit Union Administration	8	$0.00
National Gallery of Art	8	$135,669.38
Overseas Private Investment Corporation	8	$114,352.63
Federal Housing Finance Agency	8	$178,769.13
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	8	$125,897.00
Railroad Retirement Board	7	$116,917.00
Office of Small Business Utilization	7	$115,503.71
Executive Office for Immigration Review	7	$124,021.14
Export-Import Bank of the United States	6	$130,864.67
National Transportation Safety Board	6	$123,903.83
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Agriculture)	5	$98,285.40
Inspector General (Department of Veterans Affairs)	5	$118,519.00
Office of Management and Budget	5	$149,635.00
National Labor Relations Board	5	$140,993.80
U.S. International Trade Commission	5	$109,308.00
Federal Trade Commission	5	$126,102.60
Commodity Futures Trading Commission	5	$191,758.20
Departmental Offices	4	$151,278.50
U.S. Trustee Program	4	$123,585.00
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement	4	$111,375.75
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Labor)	4	$135,951.75
International Boundary & Water Commission: U.S. & Mexico	4	$86,450.50
Presidio Trust	4	$101,693.50
Office of Inspector General (Department of Housing and Urban Development)	3	$135,774.33
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Homeland Security)	3	$130,214.00
Office of Inspector General for Tax Administration	3	$112,888.33
American Battle Monuments Commission	3	$108,957.67
Office of the Director	3	$120,427.67
Federal Maritime Commission	3	$133,784.33
Federal Election Commission	3	$100,206.33
Farm Service Agency	3	$82,635.67
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation	3	$82,401.33
Pretrial Services Agency	3	$117,702.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Interior)	2	$120,255.00
Office of Inspector General (Federal Housing Finance Agency)	2	$122,486.00
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	2	$140,960.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Agriculture)	2	$122,309.50
National Endowment for the Arts	2	$118,139.00
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Justice)	2	$123,051.00
Farm Credit Administration	2	$0.00
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts	2	$70,741.00
Merit Systems Protection Board	2	$111,787.50
Administration for Children and Families	2	$123,344.50
Wage and Hour Division	2	$115,698.50
Office of Inspector General (Department of Health and Human Services)	2	$146,476.50
Office of Inspector General (General Services Administration)	2	$105,782.50
Selective Service System	2	$73,761.00
Trade and Development Agency	2	$125,374.00
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars	1	$88,141.00
Office of the Chief Information Officer (Department of Agriculture)	1	$107,299.00
Office of the Committee for Purchase from People Blind	1	$151,633.00
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation	1	$136,271.00
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs	1	$140,632.00
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs	1	$115,699.00
Administration for Community Living	1	$136,725.00
Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission	1	$86,179.00
Immediate Office of the Administrator	1	$156,228.00
Institute of Museum and Library Services	1	$136,725.00
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board	1	$109,088.00
Foreign Agricultural Service	1	$128,920.00
Office of Inspector General (Department of Treasury)	1	$148,445.00
Office of General Services Administration Innovative Technologies	1	$151,633.00
Commission on Civil Rights	1	$94,520.00
Chemical Safety/Hazard Investigation Board	1	$132,818.00
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau	1	$152,352.00
National Assessment Governing Board	1	$109,088.00
U.S. Tax Court	1	$109,088.00
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission	1	$128,750.00

Contractor Pay Distribution

The average pay for a Contractor is $105,712.94. The highest paid Contractor made $246,900 in 2019.

Common Contractor Payscales

Payscale	Number of Contracting Employees
GS - General Schedule	11,725
FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan	241
NQ - Employees In The National Nuclear Secuirty Administration's Professional, Technical, And Admin Career Path	107
GL - Gs Employees In Grades 3 Through 10 Paid A Law Enforcement Officer Special Base Rate	106
SV - Transportation Security Administration Employees Other Than Executives	97
FO - Foreign Service Officers	95
ZA - Administrative	84
ES - Senior Executive Service	80
FP - Foreign Service Personnel	66
IC - Employees Holding Incident Management Cadre Of On-call Response/recovery Employees(core)positions	51
SK - Non-supervisorty Postions Employed By The Securities And Exchange Commission (sec) And Formerly Under Gs Pay	46
IR - Internal Revenue Service Broadband Classification And Pay System Positions Only	36
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule	30
CG - Corporate Graded	27
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not Elsewhere Specified	18
EN - National Nuclear Security Administration Excepted Service Only	17
PG - Printing Office Grades	16
MC - Employees Of The Millennium Challenge Corporation Appointed Under Public Law 108-199 Only.	16
NB - Office Of The Comptroller Of The Currency Only	15
NY - All Other Positions In The Corporation For National And Community Service, P.l. 103-82, Subtitle G, Section	11
CN - Bureau Of Consumer Financial Protect(cfpb) Independent Agcy Within The Fed Res Syst(use By Cfpb Only)	11
EL - Non-executive Positions At The Federal Housing Finance Agency	10
CU - Credit Union Employees	8
CT - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Positions Previously Defined Under Pay Plan Codes Ad, Es, Gm, And Gs	5
CM - Fdic Supervisory And Managerial Positions Below The Executive Level Only	4
SL - Senior Level Positions	3
EJ - The Department Of Energy Organization Act Excepted Service	3
SW - Transportation Security Administration Executives	2
FE - Senior Foreign Service	2
GM - Employees Covered By The Performance Management And Recognition System (pmrs) Termination Provisions	2
VH - Professional, Administrative, And Managerial	2
CE - Contract Education--year Long	2
NX - Executive-level And Managerial Positions In The Corporation For National And Community Service, P.l. 103-82	1

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

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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.