General Physical Scientist - Federal Salaries of 2016

Pay Rates for "General Physical Scientist"

How much does a General Physical Scientist in the federal government get paid? $118,403.52* *Based on the 2016 average.

5,511 EMPLOYEES

$650.04M TOTAL SALARY

GS MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

General Physical Scientist was the 52nd most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2016, with 5,511 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.

In 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency hired the most employees titled General Physical Science, with an average salary of $113,421.

Government General Physical Science jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a General Physical Science 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.

Job Description

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 Physical Scientist

Agency	Employees Hired	Average Salary
Environmental Protection Agency	2,109	$113,421.20
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	700	$124,217.88
Department of Energy	575	$127,694.34
Geological Survey	393	$98,918.76
Nuclear Regulatory Commission	159	$139,486.13
National Institute of Standards and Technology	146	$138,603.83
Federal Bureau of Investigation	135	$108,549.96
Goddard Space Flight Center	134	$140,141.21
Forest Service	127	$91,258.43
National Science Foundation	102	$154,820.90
Langley Research Center	80	$131,426.96
Headquarters, Nasa	71	$159,415.94
Ames Research Center	68	$150,322.38
Agricultural Research Service	63	$100,936.83
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	57	$104,163.91
National Park Service	56	$83,691.95
Bureau of Land Management	50	$89,648.86
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	45	$141,923.89
Bureau of Reclamation	40	$91,738.10
Department of State	27	$135,040.00
Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement	25	$98,179.16
Bureau of Engraving and Printing	22	$93,934.64
George C. Marshall Space Flight Center	21	$128,921.29
Customs and Border Protection	20	$104,942.75
Science and Technology Directorate	20	$146,363.55
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management	19	$114,094.95
Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration	15	$74,658.33
Domestic Nuclear Detection Office	14	$142,583.14
Office of Justice Programs	14	$122,189.43
National Institutes of Health	14	$131,287.57
Food and Drug Administration	13	$108,872.38
Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement	12	$99,688.27
Federal Aviation Administration	11	$157,288.36
Federal Emergency Management Agency	11	$110,492.55
Smithsonian Institution (Exchange Sep Boards of Trust)	10	$124,452.80
Mine Safety and Health Administration	10	$101,772.90
Indian Affairs	9	$93,233.33
John F. Kennedy Space Center	8	$125,829.38
Office of the Secretary of the Interior	8	$108,722.00
U.S. Agency for International Development	8	$139,353.63
Natural Resources Conservation Service	7	$103,534.14
National Protection and Programs Directorate	7	$97,044.71
Office of Secretary of Transportation	7	$107,331.14
Drug Enforcement Administration	6	$144,084.17
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	6	$92,347.50
U.S. Secret Service	6	$130,748.50
Occupational Safety and Health Administration	5	$89,939.40
National Gallery of Art	4	$120,175.75
International Joint Commission: U.S. & Canada	4	$121,863.25
Pipeline/Hazardous Materials Safety Administration	4	$134,355.25
Veterans Health Administration	4	$95,175.75
Office of the Inspector General (Department of Commerce)	3	$141,223.33
Office of Healthy Homes & Lead Hazard Control	3	$140,254.00
Internal Revenue Service	3	$114,373.33
Agricultural Marketing Service	2	$65,674.50
Government Printing Office	2	$126,932.50
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	2	$158,441.00
John Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field	1	$158,625.00
Dryden Flight Research Center	1	$160,300.00
John C. Stennis Space Center	1	$96,154.00
National Transportation Safety Board	1	$123,406.00
Public Buildings Service	1	$112,465.00
Risk Management Agency	1	$134,579.00
Foreign Agricultural Service	1	$160,300.00
Rural Utilities Service	1	$92,889.00
Food Safety and Inspection Service	1	$119,947.00
Office of the Chief Economist	1	$182,136.00
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration	1	$134,296.00
Utah Reclamation Mitigation & Conservation Commission	1	$71,012.00
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives	1	$169,500.00
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	1	$120,594.00
Federal Communications Commission	1	$161,100.00

General Physical Scientist Pay Distribution

The average pay for a General Physical Scientist is $118,403.52. The highest paid General Physical Scientist made $249,885 in 2016.

Common General Physical Scientist Payscales

Payscale	Number of General Physical Science Employees
GS - General Schedule	4,276
ZP - Scientific And Engineering Professional	593
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule	143
ES - Senior Executive Service	135
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not E	75
NN - Nnsa Engineering And Scientific	47
EN - Nat Nuclear Security Admin Exc Srvc Only	44
ST - Scientific And Professional	31
SL - Senior Level Positions	27
RG - Code For Use By Hhs Only.	20
ZZ - Nonapplicable	15
EI - Advisory Committee Member (other)	14
EF - Consultant (5 U.s.c. 3109)	11
FV - Faa Core Compensation Plan	10
ED - Expert (5 U.s.c. 3109)	10
EH - Advisory Committee Member (5 U.s.c. 3109	9
EJ - Dept Of Energy Org Act Excepted Service	9
SN - Senior Level System	6
GM - Emp Covered By Pmrs Termination Provisns	6
RF - Code Is For Use By Hhs Only.	4
ET - Pro Dir Of The Adv Res Prj Ag-en	3
EG - Consultant (other)	3
EE - Expert (other)	2
IC - Federal Emergency Management Agency Use	2
FP - Foreign Service Personnel	2
ZA - Administrative	2
PG - Printing Office Grades	2
EK - Nat Defense Auth Act 1995 Energy Exc Svc	2
FO - Foreign Service Officers	2
EX - Executive Pay	2
RS - Senior Biomedical Research Service	1
EV - Faa Executive Compensation Plan	1
IR - Irs Broadband Class And Pay System Pos	1
ER - Scientific Engr Pr Per Of Adv Res Pr Ag	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:	1300 PHYSICAL SCIENCES GROUP

Other Jobs at the GS-6 Paygrade

GS-6 is the starting paygrade for General Physical Science 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
Visual Information	Administrative and Management	GS-4	GS-15
General Telecommunication	Clerical and Administrative Support	GS-1	GS-9
Botany	Professional and Scientific	GS-6	GS-15
Electrical Engineering	Professional and Scientific	GS-6	GS-15
Biological Science Technician	Technical and Medical Support	GS-1	GS-9

Search for General Physical Science Jobs

Average General Physical Science Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021

In 2004, the average pay for a General Physical Scientist was $93,121. Since then, the average pay has increased to $127,767 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 1301.