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Patent Examiner - Federal Salaries of 2021
Pay Rates for "Patent Examiner"
How much does a Patent Examiner in the federal government get paid? $136,134.42* *Based on the 2021 average.Patent Examiner was the 39th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2021, with 8,783 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.
In 2021, the Patent and Trademark Office hired the most employees titled Patent Examining, with an average salary of $136,134.
Government Patent Examining jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a Patent Examining 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.
This occupation includes all classes of positions, the duties of which are to advise on, administer, supervise, or perform professional, scientific, technological, and legal work involved in the examination and disposition of applications for patents, exclusive of design patents, to determine the grant or denial of patents based on such applications, and in the adjudication of petitions and appeals from decisions on such applications. Such work in its various aspects involves the utilization of the basic and advanced concepts of the natural sciences, the techniques of all branches of engineering and of the industrial arts, and the application of those aspects of procedural and substantive law generally, and of the statutory and case law applied to patents specifically, which are applicable to the patent examining process.
Agencies that have hired a Patent Examiner
| Agency | Employees Hired | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Patent and Trademark Office | 8,783 | $136,134.42 |
Patent Examiner Pay Distribution
The average pay for a Patent Examiner is $136,134.42. The highest paid Patent Examiner made $186,800 in 2021.
Common Patent Examiner Payscales
| Payscale | Number of Patent Examining Employees |
|---|---|
| GS - General Schedule | 8,776 |
| GM - Employees Covered By The Performance Management And Recognition System (pmrs) Termination Provisions | 7 |
| 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: | 1200 COPYRIGHT, PATENT, AND TRADEMARK GROUP |
Other Jobs at the GS-6 Paygrade
GS-6 is the starting paygrade for Patent Examining 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartographic Technician | Technical and Medical Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Passport and Visa Examining | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
| General Supply | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
| Telecommunications Processing | Clerical and Administrative Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Supply Program Management | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
Average Patent Examining Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021
In 2004, the average pay for a Patent Examiner was $85,143. Since then, the average pay has increased to $136,134 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 1224.