Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2006

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2006, ranked by average pay. In 2006, the number one most well-paid job was "Administrative Law Judge," with an average yearly pay of $144,834. The runner-up job, "Patent Attorney," follows with an average of $136,296, which is a 5.9% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Administrative Law Judge	$144,834.16	$152,000
2	Patent Attorney	$136,296.27	$156,024
3	Patent Administrator	$132,761.87	$165,200
4	Technical Systems Program Manager	$130,713.42	$166,632
5	Welding Engineer	$129,023.00	$129,023
6	Bank Note Engraver	$123,135.00	$143,936
7	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$123,054.13	$177,042
8	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$122,728.19	$134,900
9	Air Traffic Controller	$120,474.06	$166,632
10	Patent Classifying	$119,004.56	$143,000
11	Nuclear Engineer	$118,937.30	$191,615
12	Metallurgist	$118,444.50	$152,000
13	Program Manager	$117,938.38	$248,230
14	General Attorney	$117,556.32	$258,683
15	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$115,583.65	$165,200
16	Bank Note Designer	$115,047.00	$115,047
17	Sculptural Engraver	$115,047.00	$115,047
18	Chief Engineer	$114,287.04	$139,477
19	Siderographic Transferring Employee	$113,731.50	$125,937
20	Physicist	$113,414.02	$251,999
21	Ceramic Engineer	$112,962.21	$152,000
22	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$110,917.71	$165,200
23	Mathematician	$110,893.99	$153,098
24	Computer Scientist	$110,054.30	$195,600
25	Financial Manager	$109,742.26	$208,169
26	General Engineer	$107,907.24	$223,020
27	Education Researcher	$107,327.84	$149,200
28	Mediator	$106,870.10	$152,000
29	Health System Administrator	$106,128.08	$223,020
30	Pharmacologist	$106,072.22	$195,700
31	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$105,784.19	$183,500
32	Music Specialist	$105,235.00	$105,235
33	Aerospace Engineer	$105,080.11	$217,215
34	Operations Researcher	$105,000.35	$183,500
35	Air Safety Investigator	$104,565.53	$165,200
36	Zoologist	$104,064.41	$152,000
37	Securities Compliance Examiner	$102,948.73	$212,100
38	Electronics Engineer	$102,588.25	$178,260
39	Patent Adviser	$102,314.80	$125,439
40	Medical Officer	$102,197.37	$250,000
41	Geophysicist	$102,165.46	$152,000
42	Pension Law Specialist	$102,131.50	$165,200
43	Naval Architect	$101,990.04	$139,610
44	Health Physicist	$101,300.70	$154,500
45	Computer Engineer	$101,059.87	$183,478
46	Materials Engineer	$100,930.04	$152,000
47	Toxicologist	$100,332.50	$178,015
48	Ship Surveyer	$100,047.85	$130,134
49	General Physical Scientist	$99,537.06	$213,282
50	Oceanographer	$98,869.54	$155,168
51	Actuarial Scientist	$98,652.90	$165,200
52	Fire Protection Engineer	$98,643.19	$141,274
53	Financial Institution Examiner	$98,548.07	$220,263
54	Physiologist	$98,521.22	$247,500
55	Plant Physiologist	$98,192.07	$161,004
56	Transportation Industry Analyst	$97,029.33	$152,000
57	Mathematical Statistician	$96,921.81	$199,268
58	Education Programmer	$96,785.10	$183,500
59	Chemical Engineer	$96,772.10	$154,000
60	International Relations Personnel	$96,756.12	$152,000
61	Aviation Safety Personnel	$96,755.33	$160,642
62	Economist	$95,572.53	$215,502
63	Safety Engineer	$95,031.75	$149,266
64	Environmental Engineer	$94,936.60	$163,295
65	Sociologist	$94,817.89	$130,419
66	Insurance Examiner	$94,606.52	$139,774
67	Electrical Engineer	$94,210.41	$186,798
68	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$93,438.55	$143,000
69	Animal Scientist	$93,262.38	$216,933
70	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$93,074.90	$150,439
71	Estate Tax Examiner	$92,605.00	$92,605
72	Chemist	$92,418.53	$237,500
73	Mechanical Engineer	$92,170.27	$148,605
74	Intaglio Press Operator	$91,836.76	$127,679
75	Industrial Engineer	$91,537.38	$146,284
76	Aircraft Operator	$91,317.07	$147,931
77	Architect	$91,235.69	$165,200
78	Geodesist	$91,206.25	$144,362
79	Pharmacist	$91,132.36	$162,970
80	Document Analyst	$91,043.32	$132,607
81	Environmental Protection Specialist	$90,947.73	$159,784
82	Geneticist	$90,844.11	$209,861
83	Civil Rights Analyst	$90,741.33	$153,559
84	Highway Safety Personnel	$90,723.45	$133,031
85	Podiatrist	$90,664.98	$152,000
86	Food Technologist	$90,448.44	$169,337
87	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$90,327.06	$117,146
88	Dental Officer	$89,923.32	$250,000
89	Credit Union Examiner	$89,750.49	$201,013
90	Accountant	$89,712.16	$213,001
91	Photographic Technology	$89,636.00	$116,787
92	Microbiologist	$89,547.52	$221,125
93	Customs and Border Protection Interdiction Agent	$89,450.67	$127,798
94	Health Insurance Administrator	$89,392.87	$143,000
95	Trade Specialist	$89,153.19	$146,000
96	Petroleum Engineer	$89,078.31	$152,076
97	Geologist	$88,926.24	$165,200
98	Public Health Program Specialist	$88,892.35	$200,000
99	Letterpress Operator	$88,804.38	$121,825
100	Clothing Designer	$88,770.50	$108,901

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.