Nurse - Federal Salaries of 2021

Pay Rates for "Nurse"

How much does a Nurse in the federal government get paid? $100,959.40* *Based on the 2021 average.

86,840 EMPLOYEES

$8.75B TOTAL SALARY

VN MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

Nurse was the most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2021, with 86,840 employed. The most common payscale was the nursing payscale.

In 2021, the Veterans Health Administration hired the most employees titled Nurse, with an average salary of $101,469.

Government Nurse 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 require a professional knowledge of nursing. Positions involve providing care to patients in hospitals, clinics, occupational health units, homes, schools and communities; administering anesthetic agents and supportive treatments to patients undergoing surgery or other medical procedures; promoting better health practices; teaching; performing research in one or more phases of the field of nursing; or consulting and advising nurses who provide direct care to patients.

Agencies that have hired a Nurse

Agency	Employees Hired	Average Salary
Veterans Health Administration	80,839	$101,468.98
Indian Health Service	1,853	$101,085.48
Office Secretary Health and Human Services	1,236	$67,612.73
National Institutes of Health	1,126	$112,107.00
Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System	1,050	$83,513.89
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	168	$109,392.43
Immigration and Customs Enforcement	63	$121,232.00
Federal Bureau of Investigation	59	$109,413.25
Department of State	54	$121,512.67
Inspector General (Department of Veterans Affairs)	48	$117,438.04
Health Resources and Services Administration	39	$131,298.08
Forest Service	38	$70,183.92
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	36	$111,118.14
Peace Corps	33	$112,680.09
Customs and Border Protection	33	$123,142.80
Food and Drug Administration	27	$125,747.30
Armed Forces Retirement Home	22	$89,269.82
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs	15	$104,994.00
U.S. Coast Guard	12	$77,666.08
Transportation Security Administration	10	$120,128.60
Bureau of the Census	9	$82,419.44
Program Support Center	8	$126,498.38
U.S. Secret Service	7	$121,042.86
Social Security Administration	7	$102,816.43
Smithsonian Institution (Exchange Sep Boards of Trust)	6	$105,664.00
Federal Aviation Administration	6	$116,537.50
Office of Personnel Management	4	$127,644.25
Government Printing Office	4	$107,189.50
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	4	$147,245.00
Administration for Children and Families	3	$122,349.00
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service	2	$84,127.00
Bureau of the Fiscal Service	2	$77,526.50
Environmental Protection Agency	2	$99,346.50
Occupational Safety and Health Administration	2	$120,972.00
U.S. Marshals Service	2	$105,529.00
Corporation for National and Community Service	2	$97,068.00
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration	1	$155,202.00
Mine Safety and Health Administration	1	$107,548.00
Department of Energy	1	$0.00
Federal Communications Commission	1	$85,679.00
National Park Service	1	$53,433.00
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration	1	$143,950.00
Federal Emergency Management Agency	1	$67,715.00
Agricultural Research Service	1	$62,838.00
Fpac Business Center	1	$85,654.00

Nurse Pay Distribution

The average pay for a Nurse is $100,959.40. The highest paid Nurse made $272,500 in 2021.

Common Nurse Payscales

Payscale	Number of Nurse Employees
VN - Nursing	73,433
AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not Elsewhere Specified	7,435
GS - General Schedule	5,149
GL - Gs Employees In Grades 3 Through 10 Paid A Law Enforcement Officer Special Base Rate	745
FP - Foreign Service Personnel	33
EI - Advisory Committee Member (other)	12
SV - Transportation Security Administration Employees Other Than Executives	10
FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan	6
SR - Statutory Rates Not Elsewhere Specified	5
RG - Scientists Appointed As Fellows And Compensated Under 42 U.s.c. 209(g). Includes Non-citizens Whose Employment	3
GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule	2
NY - All Other Positions In The Corporation For National And Community Service, P.l. 103-82, Subtitle G, Section	2
PU - Government Printing Office, White-collar, 10% Night Rate	2
NQ - Employees In The National Nuclear Secuirty Administration's Professional, Technical, And Admin Career Path	1
RF - Employees Appointed And Compensated As Special Consultants Under 42 U.s.c. 209(f). Includes Non-citizens Whose	1
PG - Printing Office Grades	1

Category:	N/A
Occupation Family:	0600 MEDICAL, HOSPITAL, DENTAL, AND PUBLIC HEALTH GROUP

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Average Nurse Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021

In 2004, the average pay for a Nurse was $64,889. Since then, the average pay has increased to $100,959 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 0610.