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

Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2016

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2016, ranked by average pay. In 2016, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $214,968. The runner-up job, "Securities Compliance Examining," follows with an average of $172,012, which is a 19.98% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$214,968.45	$403,849
2	Securities Compliance Examiner	$172,012.08	$242,900
3	Patent Attorney	$171,273.73	$204,310
4	Patent Administrator	$164,269.88	$185,100
5	Dental Officer	$162,849.23	$337,925
6	Administrative Law Judge	$161,097.59	$184,799
7	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$160,782.27	$205,700
8	General Mathematican/Statistician	$152,346.44	$239,892
9	Technical Systems Program Manager	$148,028.66	$196,642
10	Chief Engineer	$146,854.80	$162,515
11	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$142,188.22	$176,274
12	Metallurgist	$141,203.67	$185,150
13	Program Manager	$138,133.24	$325,000
14	General Attorney	$137,387.20	$282,928
15	Nuclear Engineer	$135,992.74	$249,885
16	Mathematician	$135,461.11	$252,274
17	Physicist	$134,381.73	$260,000
18	Patent Classifying	$134,043.35	$168,235
19	Patent Adviser	$133,038.45	$160,300
20	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$132,599.09	$185,100
21	Financial Manager	$131,614.65	$257,700
22	Financial Analyst	$129,804.14	$277,192
23	Naval Architect	$128,953.29	$160,300
24	Financial Institution Examiner	$127,447.88	$282,928
25	General Engineer	$127,215.76	$320,055
26	Health System Administrator	$127,102.93	$195,100
27	Aerospace Engineer	$126,127.00	$189,759
28	Air Traffic Controller	$125,521.86	$198,979
29	Computer Scientist	$125,398.16	$220,000
30	Pharmacologist	$125,010.40	$275,000
31	Zoologist	$124,394.95	$170,017
32	Electronics Engineer	$124,168.59	$204,140
33	Actuarial Scientist	$123,959.22	$185,100
34	Computer Engineer	$123,837.79	$199,869
35	Mediator	$123,175.18	$172,893
36	Photographic Technology	$122,940.58	$165,354
37	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$122,414.59	$199,700
38	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$120,897.74	$185,100
39	Materials Engineer	$120,675.51	$171,400
40	Cryptanalyst	$120,205.17	$158,736
41	Plant Physiologist	$119,448.97	$202,305
42	Geodesist	$118,578.25	$160,300
43	General Physical Scientist	$118,403.52	$249,885
44	Patent Examiner	$118,177.13	$177,502
45	Transportation Industry Analyst	$118,140.46	$160,300
46	Air Safety Investigator	$118,017.70	$160,550
47	Health Physicist	$117,849.55	$171,009
48	Toxicologist	$117,540.58	$250,000
49	Operations Researcher	$117,440.28	$188,936
50	Oceanographer	$117,389.25	$185,100
51	Economist	$117,316.34	$265,000
52	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$116,667.13	$185,100
53	Geophysicist	$116,243.95	$183,157
54	Fire Protection Engineer	$116,059.56	$164,231
55	Chemical Engineer	$116,047.03	$225,000
56	Mathematical Statistician	$116,016.65	$267,986
57	Document Analyst	$115,760.01	$157,971
58	Credit Union Examiner	$115,273.92	$260,000
59	Pharmacist	$115,210.47	$225,000
60	Civil Rights Analyst	$115,094.33	$160,300
61	Education Researcher	$114,634.77	$185,100
62	Marine Survey Technician	$114,194.98	$157,971
63	Navigational Information Personnel	$114,115.97	$179,296
64	International Relations Personnel	$114,017.75	$180,072
65	Insurance Examiner	$113,731.63	$160,300
66	International Cooperation Personnel	$113,662.83	$160,300
67	Aviation Safety Personnel	$113,593.69	$187,800
68	Industrial Specialist	$112,944.17	$178,676
69	Food Technologist	$112,927.94	$160,300
70	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$112,566.61	$160,300
71	Environmental Engineer	$111,557.48	$204,000
72	Environmental Protection Specialist	$111,514.83	$185,100
73	Chemist	$111,329.20	$270,000
74	Plant Pathologist	$111,285.69	$205,700
75	Accountant	$110,986.13	$273,563
76	Physiologist	$110,662.24	$250,000
77	Geneticist	$110,114.00	$260,000
78	Podiatrist	$109,321.67	$172,410
79		$109,238.00	$109,238
80	Intaglio Press Operator	$109,212.10	$150,617
81	Architect	$109,114.58	$195,095
82	Health Insurance Administrator	$109,109.30	$161,700
83	Design Patent Examier	$108,891.64	$168,479
84	Electrical Engineer	$108,630.33	$205,700
85	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$108,426.05	$153,793
86	Education Programmer	$108,306.11	$199,700
87	Mechanical Engineer	$107,727.35	$185,600
88		$107,488.51	$153,249
89	Information Technology Manager	$107,363.01	$271,249
90	Aircraft Operator	$107,175.24	$183,010
91	Animal Scientist	$106,925.83	$169,526
92	Trade Specialist	$106,754.57	$162,410
93	Microbiologist	$106,358.19	$255,000
94	Auditor	$106,301.01	$265,000
95	Highway Safety Personnel	$106,155.22	$160,300
96	Letterpress Operator	$105,727.49	$142,769
97	Public Health Educator	$105,655.60	$160,300
98	Criminal Investigator	$105,320.40	$245,619
99	Safety Engineer	$105,244.76	$190,550
100	Workforce Development Personnel	$105,081.91	$185,091

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.