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Public Affairs Worker - Federal Salaries of 2021
Pay Rates for "Public Affairs Worker"
How much does a Public Affairs Worker in the federal government get paid? $112,302.26* *Based on the 2021 average.Public Affairs Worker was the 70th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2021, with 4,057 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.
In 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency hired the most employees titled Public Affairs, with an average salary of $93,028.
Government Public Affairs jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a Public Affairs job is GS-4, 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 positions responsible for administering, supervising, or performing work involved in establishing and maintaining mutual communication between Federal agencies and the general public and various other pertinent publics including internal or external, foreign or domestic audiences. Positions in this occupation advise agency management on policy formulation and the potential public reaction to proposed policy, and identify and carry out the public communication requirements inherent in disseminating policy decisions. The work involves identifying communication needs and developing informational materials that inform appropriate publics of the agency's policies, programs, services and activities, and plan, execute, and evaluate the effectiveness of information and communication programs in furthering agency goals. Work in the occupation requires skills in written and oral communication, analysis, and interpersonal relations.
Agencies that have hired a Public Affairs Worker
Public Affairs Worker Pay Distribution
The average pay for a Public Affairs Worker is $112,302.26. The highest paid Public Affairs Worker made $261,168 in 2021.
Common Public Affairs Worker Payscales
| Payscale | Number of Public Affairs Employees |
|---|---|
| GS - General Schedule | 3,536 |
| IM - Employees Holding Incident Management Positions And Appointed And Compensated Under Section 306(b)(1) | 113 |
| IC - Employees Holding Incident Management Cadre Of On-call Response/recovery Employees(core)positions | 96 |
| IT - Employees Appointed And Compensated Under Section 306(b)(1) Of The Robert T Stafford Disaster Relief | 64 |
| ZA - Administrative | 47 |
| SV - Transportation Security Administration Employees Other Than Executives | 38 |
| AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not Elsewhere Specified | 24 |
| IR - Internal Revenue Service Broadband Classification And Pay System Positions Only | 24 |
| GG - Grades Similar To General Schedule | 16 |
| FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan | 16 |
| ES - Senior Executive Service | 11 |
| FP - Foreign Service Personnel | 11 |
| CN - Bureau Of Consumer Financial Protect(cfpb) Independent Agcy Within The Fed Res Syst(use By Cfpb Only) | 10 |
| NQ - Employees In The National Nuclear Secuirty Administration's Professional, Technical, And Admin Career Path | 9 |
| EN - National Nuclear Security Administration Excepted Service Only | 7 |
| CG - Corporate Graded | 6 |
| NB - Office Of The Comptroller Of The Currency Only | 6 |
| SK - Non-supervisorty Postions Employed By The Securities And Exchange Commission (sec) And Formerly Under Gs Pay | 6 |
| NY - All Other Positions In The Corporation For National And Community Service, P.l. 103-82, Subtitle G, Section | 3 |
| VH - Professional, Administrative, And Managerial | 2 |
| CT - Commodity Futures Trading Commission Positions Previously Defined Under Pay Plan Codes Ad, Es, Gm, And Gs | 2 |
| PG - Printing Office Grades | 2 |
| SL - Senior Level Positions | 2 |
| VC - Canteen Service | 1 |
| SN - Senior Level System | 1 |
| SW - Transportation Security Administration Executives | 1 |
| LL - Executives At The Federal Housing Finance Agency | 1 |
| CU - Credit Union Employees | 1 |
| GM - Employees Covered By The Performance Management And Recognition System (pmrs) Termination Provisions | 1 |
| Starting Paygrade: | $28,921.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-4, Step 1 |
| Maximum Paygrade: | $152,771.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-15, Step 10 |
| Category: | Administrative and Management |
| Occupation Family: | 1000 INFORMATION AND ARTS GROUP |
Other Jobs at the GS-4 Paygrade
GS-4 is the starting paygrade for Public Affairs jobs. Here are some other Federal Government jobs that can be held by employees at the GS-4 paygrade.
| Occupation | Occupation Category | Starting Paygrade | Maximum Paygrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Control Technical | Technical and Medical Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Medical Records Administration | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
| Language Clerical | Clerical and Administrative Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Quality Assurance | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
| Audiovisual Production | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
Average Public Affairs Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021
In 2004, the average pay for a Public Affairs Worker was $80,179. Since then, the average pay has increased to $112,302 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 1035.