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General Engineer - Federal Salaries of 2021
Pay Rates for "General Engineer"
How much does a General Engineer in the federal government get paid? $134,715.96* *Based on the 2021 average.General Engineer was the 32nd most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2021, with 11,061 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.
In 2021, the Department of Energy hired the most employees titled General Engineering, with an average salary of $113,691.
Government General Engineering jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a General 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 a General Engineer
General Engineer Pay Distribution
The average pay for a General Engineer is $134,715.96. The highest paid General Engineer made $255,800 in 2021.
Common General Engineer Payscales
| Payscale | Number of General Engineering Employees |
|---|---|
| GS - General Schedule | 7,725 |
| FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan | 957 |
| GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule | 760 |
| EN - National Nuclear Security Administration Excepted Service Only | 342 |
| ES - Senior Executive Service | 338 |
| NN - Employees In The National Nuclear Security Administration's Engineering And Scientific Career Path | 175 |
| ZP - Scientific And Engineering Professional | 171 |
| AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not Elsewhere Specified | 112 |
| SL - Senior Level Positions | 77 |
| DN - Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Excepted Service Employees | 65 |
| IM - Employees Holding Incident Management Positions And Appointed And Compensated Under Section 306(b)(1) | 56 |
| SV - Transportation Security Administration Employees Other Than Executives | 46 |
| IC - Employees Holding Incident Management Cadre Of On-call Response/recovery Employees(core)positions | 33 |
| EE - Expert (other) | 24 |
| IR - Internal Revenue Service Broadband Classification And Pay System Positions Only | 20 |
| RG - Scientists Appointed As Fellows And Compensated Under 42 U.s.c. 209(g). Includes Non-citizens Whose Employment | 20 |
| ST - Scientific And Professional | 18 |
| SN - Senior Level System | 16 |
| FP - Foreign Service Personnel | 16 |
| EI - Advisory Committee Member (other) | 15 |
| ER - Scientific, Engineering & Professonal Pers Of The Adv Research Proj Agcy-en | 11 |
| EK - The National Defense Authorization Act Of 1995 Department Of Energy Excepted Service | 10 |
| EJ - The Department Of Energy Organization Act Excepted Service | 8 |
| PG - Printing Office Grades | 8 |
| EH - Advisory Committee Member (5 U.s.c. 3109) | 7 |
| FO - Foreign Service Officers | 6 |
| FG - Similar To The General Schedule | 5 |
| ZZ - Nonapplicable | 4 |
| * - Invalid | 4 |
| EF - Consultant (5 U.s.c. 3109) | 4 |
| ED - Expert (5 U.s.c. 3109) | 2 |
| EG - Consultant (other) | 2 |
| EV - Federal Aviation Administration Executive Compensation Plan | 2 |
| EX - Executive Pay | 1 |
| ET - Program Director Of The Advanced Research Projects Agency-engery | 1 |
| Starting Paygrade: | $36,070.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-6, Step 1 |
| Maximum Paygrade: | $152,771.00 / 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 General Engineering and Architecture 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health System Specialist | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
| Property Disposal | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
| Entomology | Professional and Scientific | GS-6 | GS-15 |
| Property Disposal Clerical and Technician | Clerical and Administrative Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Human Resources Management | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
Average General Engineering Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021
In 2004, the average pay for a General Engineer was $101,008. Since then, the average pay has increased to $134,716 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 0801.