Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2005

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2005, ranked by average pay. In 2005, the number one most well-paid job was "Administrative Law Judge," with an average yearly pay of $140,511. The runner-up job, "Patent Attorney," follows with an average of $139,808, which is a 0.5% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Administrative Law Judge	$140,511.23	$149,200
2	Patent Attorney	$139,808.11	$171,620
3	Patent Administrator	$133,100.16	$153,679
4	Welding Engineer	$124,740.00	$124,740
5	Bank Note Designer	$122,522.33	$141,141
6	Bank Note Engraver	$120,866.18	$141,141
7	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$117,882.03	$149,200
8	Air Traffic Controller	$117,681.74	$165,820
9	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$117,031.12	$133,000
10	Patent Classifying	$116,403.86	$140,300
11	Personnel Staffer	$116,226.10	$168,804
12	General Attorney	$115,552.15	$258,683
13	Nuclear Engineer	$115,016.43	$194,520
14	Program Manager	$114,964.82	$241,000
15	Metallurgist	$113,959.68	$149,200
16	Sculptural Engraver	$113,213.00	$113,213
17	Siderographic Transferring Employee	$111,162.00	$123,746
18	Medical Officer	$111,080.83	$250,000
19	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$111,016.70	$158,704
20	Physicist	$110,948.10	$212,000
21	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$109,393.61	$162,100
22	Ceramic Engineer	$109,154.34	$149,200
23	Mathematician	$107,580.91	$149,200
24	Chief Engineer	$106,868.43	$134,984
25	Labor Relations Personnel	$106,138.00	$149,200
26	Computer Scientist	$105,482.24	$187,380
27	General Engineer	$105,100.11	$218,835
28	Financial Manager	$104,783.09	$213,561
29	Patent Adviser	$104,636.25	$130,173
30	Pharmacologist	$103,032.32	$180,100
31	Health System Administrator	$102,152.55	$162,700
32	Operations Researcher	$102,103.58	$188,520
33	Mediator	$101,713.99	$139,471
34	Music Specialist	$101,413.00	$101,413
35	Air Safety Investigator	$101,390.65	$160,775
36	Aerospace Engineer	$101,278.34	$178,413
37	Zoologist	$101,250.31	$149,200
38	Education Researcher	$100,573.31	$149,200
39	Insurance Examiner	$99,293.67	$135,136
40	Naval Architect	$99,019.12	$131,671
41	Geophysicist	$98,730.01	$149,200
42	Toxicologist	$98,709.62	$152,526
43	Health Physicist	$98,321.46	$151,450
44	Materials Engineer	$98,301.45	$149,700
45	Electronics Engineer	$97,921.13	$168,170
46	Physiologist	$97,584.75	$200,000
47	Employee Relations Personnel	$97,450.08	$136,634
48	Computer Engineer	$96,978.28	$180,057
49	Ship Surveyer	$96,518.92	$125,193
50	Financial Institution Examiner	$96,515.94	$214,100
51	General Physical Scientist	$96,191.05	$212,337
52	Aviation Safety Personnel	$95,735.55	$155,014
53	Oceanographer	$95,580.82	$149,200
54	Actuarial Scientist	$95,286.70	$162,100
55	Clothing Designer	$94,684.00	$105,329
56	Fire Protection Engineer	$94,645.07	$136,136
57	Education Programmer	$94,533.57	$180,100
58	Tax Law Specialist	$94,385.05	$186,300
59	Mathematical Statistician	$94,215.75	$193,464
60	Pension Law Specialist	$94,204.80	$157,976
61	Plant Physiologist	$94,182.88	$156,004
62	Chemical Engineer	$93,812.98	$151,198
63	Sociologist	$93,776.61	$139,379
64	Contractor Industrial Relations Employee	$92,968.59	$120,158
65	Dental Officer	$92,621.61	$225,000
66	Home Economics Employee	$92,199.75	$97,213
67	Transportation Industry Analyst	$91,920.42	$149,200
68	Economist	$91,384.68	$208,100
69	Intaglio Press Operator	$91,315.96	$125,594
70	Environmental Engineer	$91,305.68	$187,611
71	Safety Engineer	$91,091.67	$142,905
72	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$90,913.42	$140,300
73	Electrical Engineer	$90,842.37	$182,956
74	Animal Scientist	$90,568.64	$209,597
75	International Relations Personnel	$90,525.56	$148,909
76	Industrial Specialist	$90,186.38	$144,807
77	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$89,789.15	$145,439
78	Securities Compliance Examiner	$89,572.12	$195,451
79	Civil Rights Analyst	$89,475.14	$144,900
80	Mechanical Engineer	$89,345.76	$143,401
81	Chemist	$89,220.92	$212,000
82	Estate Tax Examiner	$89,085.00	$89,085
83	Geodesist	$88,910.40	$146,192
84	Credit Union Examiner	$88,719.78	$201,013
85	Highway Safety Personnel	$88,068.55	$128,205
86	Geneticist	$87,915.84	$197,982
87	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$87,849.20	$115,023
88	Photoengraver	$87,688.50	$111,970
89	Industrial Engineer	$87,683.67	$143,789
90	Architect	$87,671.64	$156,700
91	Environmental Protection Specialist	$87,627.12	$158,089
92	Pharmacist	$87,598.35	$166,887
93	Unemployment Insurance Employee	$87,444.41	$128,205
94	Optometrist	$87,225.21	$149,200
95	Accountant	$86,931.90	$208,100
96	Public Health Program Specialist	$86,921.74	$187,314
97	Aircraft Operator	$86,481.50	$162,100
98	Correctional Institution Administrator	$86,459.03	$184,320
99	Geologist	$86,382.12	$162,100
100	Microbiologist	$86,199.56	$210,496

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.