Top Paid Occupations in the U.S. federal government.

Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2020

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2020, ranked by average pay. In 2020, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $251,055. The runner-up job, "Medical Officer," follows with an average of $251,055, which is a 0% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$251,055.46	$464,227
2	Medical Officer	$251,055.46	$464,227
3	Securities Compliance Examiner	$199,911.55	$253,300
4	Securities Compliance Examiner	$199,911.55	$253,300
5	Dental Officer	$192,586.39	$389,293
6	Dental Officer	$192,586.39	$389,293
7	Administrative Law Judge	$178,224.08	$181,500
8	Administrative Law Judge	$178,224.08	$181,500
9	Patent Attorney	$174,664.85	$197,300
10	Patent Attorney	$174,664.85	$197,300
11		$170,652.08	$219,200
12		$170,652.08	$219,200
13	Patent Administrator	$170,328.14	$197,300
14	Patent Administrator	$170,328.14	$197,300
15	Technical Systems Program Manager	$162,582.69	$197,300
16	Technical Systems Program Manager	$162,582.69	$197,300
17	Chief Engineer	$161,062.25	$175,575
18	Chief Engineer	$161,062.25	$175,575
19	Program Manager	$153,309.96	$318,830
20	Program Manager	$153,309.96	$318,830
21	Podiatrist	$152,591.17	$283,038
22	Podiatrist	$152,591.17	$283,038
23	Patent Classifying	$152,172.76	$170,800
24	Patent Classifying	$152,172.76	$170,800
25	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$150,578.88	$194,373
26	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$150,578.88	$194,373
27	Metallurgist	$150,113.85	$197,300
28	Metallurgist	$150,113.85	$197,300
29	General Mathematican/Statistician	$149,358.85	$253,300
30	General Mathematican/Statistician	$149,358.85	$253,300
31	Physicist	$147,212.01	$251,762
32	Physicist	$147,212.01	$251,762
33	General Attorney	$146,901.79	$286,221
34	General Attorney	$146,901.79	$286,221
35	Financial Manager	$145,321.88	$292,205
36	Financial Manager	$145,321.88	$292,205
37	Mathematician	$144,967.82	$270,300
38	Mathematician	$144,967.82	$270,300
39	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$144,619.72	$197,300
40	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$144,619.72	$197,300
41	Patent Adviser	$144,199.63	$170,800
42	Patent Adviser	$144,199.63	$170,800
43	Pharmacologist	$143,745.25	$284,465
44	Pharmacologist	$143,745.25	$284,465
45	Financial Analyst	$141,313.62	$273,400
46	Financial Analyst	$141,313.62	$273,400
47	Actuarial Scientist	$138,561.00	$197,300
48	Actuarial Scientist	$138,561.00	$197,300
49	Health System Administrator	$137,578.70	$213,600
50	Health System Administrator	$137,578.70	$213,600
51	Computer Scientist	$136,476.07	$264,000
52	Computer Scientist	$136,476.07	$264,000
53	Financial Institution Examiner	$136,417.63	$277,678
54	Financial Institution Examiner	$136,417.63	$277,678
55	Aerospace Engineer	$134,909.19	$197,300
56	Aerospace Engineer	$134,909.19	$197,300
57	Document Analyst	$134,719.41	$170,800
58	Document Analyst	$134,719.41	$170,800
59	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$134,648.60	$219,200
60	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$134,648.60	$219,200
61	Computer Engineer	$134,501.69	$197,300
62	Computer Engineer	$134,501.69	$197,300
63	Electronics Engineer	$134,133.83	$197,300
64	Electronics Engineer	$134,133.83	$197,300
65	Air Safety Investigator	$133,886.03	$170,800
66	Air Safety Investigator	$133,886.03	$170,800
67	Mediator	$133,869.27	$181,500
68	Mediator	$133,869.27	$181,500
69	Education Researcher	$133,705.56	$170,800
70	Education Researcher	$133,705.56	$170,800
71	Naval Architect	$133,296.19	$170,800
72	Naval Architect	$133,296.19	$170,800
73	General Engineer	$132,871.73	$253,300
74	General Engineer	$132,871.73	$253,300
75	Air Traffic Controller	$132,558.96	$197,300
76	Air Traffic Controller	$132,558.96	$197,300
77	Transportation Industry Analyst	$131,932.42	$195,894
78	Transportation Industry Analyst	$131,932.42	$195,894
79	International Relations Personnel	$131,811.02	$197,300
80	International Relations Personnel	$131,811.02	$197,300
81	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$131,168.78	$197,300
82	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$131,168.78	$197,300
83	Zoologist	$130,690.29	$180,798
84	Zoologist	$130,690.29	$180,798
85	Operations Researcher	$130,516.27	$262,500
86	Operations Researcher	$130,516.27	$262,500
87	Oceanographer	$130,399.78	$197,300
88	Oceanographer	$130,399.78	$197,300
89	Patent Examiner	$130,134.15	$170,800
90	Patent Examiner	$130,134.15	$170,800
91	Economist	$129,870.05	$277,600
92	Economist	$129,870.05	$277,600
93	Pharmacist	$129,665.00	$226,314
94	Pharmacist	$129,665.00	$226,314
95	Fire Protection Engineer	$129,259.11	$170,800
96	Fire Protection Engineer	$129,259.11	$170,800
97	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$129,170.16	$196,531
98	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$129,170.16	$196,531
99	Industrial Specialist	$128,970.95	$196,440
100	Industrial Specialist	$128,970.95	$196,440

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.