FederalPay.org
Electrical Engineer - Federal Salaries of 2020
Pay Rates for "Electrical Engineer"
How much does an Electrical Engineer in the federal government get paid? $120,716.63* *Based on the 2020 average.Electrical Engineer was the 129th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2020, with 1,598 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.
In 2020, the Department of Energy hired the most employees titled Electrical Engineering, with an average salary of $124,459.
Government Electrical Engineering jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a Electrical Engineering job is GS-6, and the highest paygrade that can be attained within this job series is GS-15. 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.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions fall under this job category. Due to the growing focus of them STEM fields, individuals in this job category tend to advance more quickly than employees in the other job categories. Jobs in this category are being added quickly and many organizations have trouble finding qualified individuals. Individuals in this job category typically recieve pormotions of 2 grade increases at a time until they reach GS-12.
Agencies that have hired an Electrical Engineer
Electrical Engineer Pay Distribution
The average pay for an Electrical Engineer is $120,716.63. The highest paid Electrical Engineer made $230,160 in 2020.
Common Electrical Engineer Payscales
| Payscale | Number of Electrical Engineering Employees |
|---|---|
| GS - General Schedule | 1,334 |
| FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan | 153 |
| ZP - Scientific And Engineering Professional | 47 |
| GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule | 24 |
| AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not Elsewhere Specified | 13 |
| ES - Senior Executive Service | 8 |
| RG - Scientists Appointed As Fellows And Compensated Under 42 U.s.c. 209(g). Includes Non-citizens Whose Employment | 6 |
| SL - Senior Level Positions | 3 |
| RF - Employees Appointed And Compensated As Special Consultants Under 42 U.s.c. 209(f). Includes Non-citizens Whose | 2 |
| EJ - The Department Of Energy Organization Act Excepted Service | 1 |
| NN - Employees In The National Nuclear Security Administration's Engineering And Scientific Career Path | 1 |
| RS - Senior Biomedical Research Service | 1 |
| EI - Advisory Committee Member (other) | 1 |
| IC - Employees Holding Incident Management Cadre Of On-call Response/recovery Employees(core)positions | 1 |
| PG - Printing Office Grades | 1 |
| ST - Scientific And Professional | 1 |
| SN - Senior Level System | 1 |
| Starting Paygrade: | $34,649.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-6, Step 1 |
| Maximum Paygrade: | $146,757.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-15, Step 10 |
| Category: | Professional and Scientific |
| Occupation Family: | 0800 ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE GROUP |
Other Jobs at the GS-6 Paygrade
GS-6 is the starting paygrade for Electrical Engineering jobs. Here are some other Federal Government jobs that can be held by employees at the GS-6 paygrade.
| Occupation | Occupation Category | Starting Paygrade | Maximum Paygrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrology | Professional and Scientific | GS-6 | GS-15 |
| Computer Science | Professional and Scientific | GS-6 | GS-15 |
| Language Clerical | Clerical and Administrative Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Import Compliance | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
| Construction Control Technical | Technical and Medical Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
Average Electrical Engineering Pay Trend from 2004 to 2020
In 2004, the average pay for an Electrical Engineer was $87,789. Since then, the average pay has increased to $120,717 in 2020.
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 0850.