Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2021

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2021, ranked by average pay. In 2021, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $255,213. The runner-up job, "Securities Compliance Examining," follows with an average of $205,652, which is a 19.42% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$255,212.58	$456,028
2	Securities Compliance Examiner	$205,651.96	$259,300
3	Dental Officer	$192,701.65	$404,865
4	Administrative Law Judge	$181,144.47	$183,300
5	Patent Administrator	$177,885.29	$203,858
6		$177,772.38	$226,400
7	Patent Attorney	$176,007.06	$199,300
8	Technical Systems Program Manager	$169,191.74	$228,656
9	Chief Engineer	$162,282.88	$177,429
10	Podiatrist	$162,210.02	$288,344
11	Patent Classifying	$157,634.39	$172,719
12	Program Manager	$156,884.50	$350,713
13	Metallurgist	$156,871.92	$199,300
14	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$152,671.36	$198,022
15	General Mathematican/Statistician	$151,970.09	$258,100
16	General Attorney	$150,294.83	$296,339
17	Physicist	$149,478.19	$256,797
18	Financial Manager	$149,089.81	$321,426
19	Pharmacologist	$147,439.24	$312,912
20	Mathematician	$146,801.25	$275,800
21	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$145,607.21	$239,160
22	Financial Analyst	$142,876.88	$273,400
23	Patent Adviser	$142,289.83	$160,036
24	Actuarial Scientist	$141,879.45	$204,300
25	Mediator	$141,556.01	$192,800
26	Health System Administrator	$140,905.20	$220,008
27	Air Safety Investigator	$139,908.96	$172,500
28	Computer Scientist	$139,069.66	$244,907
29	Aerospace Engineer	$136,617.03	$210,781
30	Financial Institution Examiner	$136,500.69	$296,339
31	Electronics Engineer	$136,339.38	$204,300
32	Patent Examiner	$136,134.42	$186,800
33	Computer Engineer	$135,858.20	$209,098
34	Naval Architect	$135,639.27	$173,500
35	Air Traffic Controller	$135,628.81	$226,579
36	Education Researcher	$135,066.81	$173,274
37	General Engineer	$134,715.96	$255,800
38	Transportation Industry Analyst	$134,142.64	$174,450
39	Operations Researcher	$133,847.89	$288,750
40	Zoologist	$133,623.31	$182,787
41	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$133,573.25	$199,300
42	Oceanographer	$132,556.03	$199,300
43	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$132,220.61	$221,400
44	Pharmacist	$131,752.50	$231,640
45	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$131,737.80	$199,187
46	Economist	$131,693.24	$288,610
47	Cryptanalyst	$131,619.44	$174,732
48		$131,504.00	$131,604
49	Materials Engineer	$131,441.84	$194,934
50	Mathematical Statistician	$131,372.59	$298,117
51	Document Analyst	$131,351.05	$172,500
52	Industrial Specialist	$131,236.40	$206,610
53	International Relations Personnel	$130,899.51	$199,300
54	Toxicologist	$130,809.98	$250,500
55	Clothing Designer	$130,578.00	$145,490
56	International Cooperation Personnel	$130,460.80	$174,468
57	Food Technologist	$130,000.72	$232,000
58	Geodesist	$129,904.55	$192,922
59	Fire Protection Engineer	$129,726.19	$181,325
60	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$128,506.27	$179,500
61	Health Physicist	$128,168.27	$187,710
62	Chemical Engineer	$128,167.86	$250,204
63	General Physical Scientist	$127,766.58	$266,067
64	Navigational Information Personnel	$127,463.67	$212,326
65	Aviation Safety Personnel	$126,937.87	$211,615
66	Chemist	$126,893.11	$278,250
67	Geophysicist	$126,745.07	$199,300
68		$126,699.74	$144,000
69	Plant Physiologist	$126,560.89	$199,300
70	Aircraft Operator	$126,029.14	$211,212
71	Health Insurance Administrator	$125,684.48	$174,000
72	Intaglio Press Operator	$125,366.23	$176,177
73	Trade Specialist	$123,737.60	$177,500
74	Accountant	$123,349.82	$278,216
75	Environmental Engineer	$122,851.80	$197,514
76	Electrical Engineer	$122,819.20	$233,462
77	Information Technology Manager	$122,477.13	$312,821
78	Tax Law Specialist	$122,142.63	$181,500
79	Electrical Power Controller	$121,949.12	$192,943
80	Marine Survey Technician	$121,874.46	$173,000
81	Auditor	$121,717.54	$257,100
82	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$121,587.25	$164,822
83	Microbiologist	$121,129.66	$272,538
84	Petroleum Engineer	$120,954.23	$220,858
85	Electronic Integrated Systems Mechanic	$120,850.89	$187,583
86	Insurance Examiner	$120,673.88	$164,645
87	Letterpress Operator	$120,543.65	$166,331
88	Industrial Engineer	$120,472.71	$212,148
89	Architect	$120,230.23	$220,858
90	Geneticist	$119,721.16	$245,000
91	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$119,566.88	$164,233
92	Education Programmer	$119,360.37	$203,500
93	Mechanical Engineer	$119,142.52	$197,606
94	Optometrist	$118,908.16	$179,000
95	Civil Rights Analyst	$118,818.33	$181,048
96	Animal Scientist	$118,686.06	$175,750
97	Theater Specialist	$118,516.00	$118,516
98	Import Compliance Personnel	$117,803.00	$147,034
99	Plant Pathologist	$117,415.46	$199,300
100	Workforce Researcher and Analyst	$117,336.16	$172,500

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.