Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2008

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2008, ranked by average pay. In 2008, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $169,162. The runner-up job, "Patent Administration," follows with an average of $149,835, which is a 11.43% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$169,161.79	$387,199
2	Patent Administrator	$149,835.28	$202,200
3	Administrative Law Judge	$149,664.74	$160,500
4	Patent Attorney	$144,373.09	$195,130
5	Patent Classifying	$141,162.56	$154,816
6	Technical Systems Program Manager	$133,778.10	$182,200
7	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$132,105.55	$185,216
8	Dental Officer	$132,092.53	$300,000
9	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$129,620.36	$141,600
10	Metallurgist	$126,182.64	$192,315
11	General Attorney	$125,942.77	$265,559
12	Program Manager	$125,368.25	$269,330
13	Bank Note Engraver	$124,829.00	$142,894
14	Bank Note Designer	$124,578.00	$125,578
15	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$123,979.19	$172,200
16	Nuclear Engineer	$123,697.81	$197,442
17	Sculptural Engraver	$123,578.00	$123,578
18	Chief Engineer	$123,360.31	$148,062
19	Physicist	$122,345.58	$250,000
20	Siderographic Transferring Employee	$122,163.75	$135,264
21	Ceramic Engineer	$121,146.81	$184,987
22	Mathematician	$119,812.62	$168,000
23	Computer Scientist	$118,951.07	$208,750
24	Securities Compliance Examiner	$118,598.24	$229,100
25	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$118,106.56	$173,595
26	Financial Manager	$116,848.65	$228,000
27	Patent Adviser	$114,916.25	$142,227
28	General Engineer	$114,289.93	$254,700
29	Mediator	$114,257.84	$167,000
30	Zoologist	$113,119.03	$158,500
31	Music Specialist	$112,735.00	$112,735
32	Naval Architect	$111,881.24	$150,500
33	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$111,557.53	$213,668
34	Air Traffic Controller	$111,212.09	$182,200
35	Aerospace Engineer	$111,201.82	$209,390
36	General Mathematican/Statistician	$110,858.10	$139,538
37	Education Researcher	$110,833.59	$160,079
38	Air Safety Investigator	$110,685.08	$172,200
39	Health System Administrator	$110,541.65	$232,470
40	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$110,213.49	$172,200
41	Pharmacologist	$109,862.64	$229,467
42	Materials Engineer	$109,818.41	$163,500
43	Operations Researcher	$109,323.79	$197,790
44	Electronics Engineer	$109,114.40	$172,200
45	Computer Engineer	$108,926.31	$191,262
46	Actuarial Scientist	$108,786.25	$172,200
47	Health Physicist	$108,601.84	$158,500
48	Geophysicist	$106,816.57	$161,500
49	Marine Survey Technician	$106,316.98	$139,713
50	General Physical Scientist	$106,120.78	$226,400
51	Oceanographer	$106,077.88	$169,444
52	Plant Physiologist	$105,776.61	$169,004
53	Toxicologist	$105,674.62	$198,916
54	Chemical Engineer	$105,171.87	$168,466
55	Physiologist	$104,777.93	$250,000
56	Transportation Industry Analyst	$104,621.63	$152,500
57	Fire Protection Engineer	$104,225.64	$156,188
58	Design Patent Examier	$104,196.86	$154,416
59	Economist	$104,181.47	$231,100
60	Mathematical Statistician	$103,486.64	$229,735
61	International Relations Personnel	$102,262.36	$158,500
62	Financial Institution Examiner	$102,218.07	$253,653
63	Environmental Engineer	$102,212.98	$172,200
64	Insurance Examiner	$102,151.97	$154,765
65	Aviation Safety Personnel	$101,561.93	$174,486
66	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$101,440.62	$154,779
67	Animal Scientist	$101,197.93	$228,227
68	Pharmacist	$100,866.05	$190,200
69	Photographic Technology	$100,637.31	$128,966
70	Geodesist	$100,545.06	$150,136
71	Education Programmer	$100,442.61	$191,300
72	Electrical Engineer	$100,250.85	$198,617
73	Chemist	$100,065.70	$250,000
74	Mechanical Engineer	$99,397.37	$159,944
75	Intaglio Press Operator	$99,183.60	$135,971
76	Document Analyst	$99,002.96	$139,220
77	Civil Rights Analyst	$98,682.61	$164,463
78	Environmental Protection Specialist	$98,647.90	$172,200
79	Podiatrist	$98,530.50	$158,500
80	Safety Engineer	$98,529.72	$163,523
81	Architect	$98,212.41	$206,640
82	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$98,205.35	$150,200
83	Sociologist	$97,918.68	$140,355
84	Cryptanalyst	$97,453.80	$126,850
85	Clothing Designer	$97,147.00	$122,527
86	Food Technologist	$97,116.71	$205,890
87	Trade Specialist	$97,105.55	$154,500
88	Highway Safety Personnel	$96,896.46	$150,750
89	Industrial Engineer	$96,776.69	$150,700
90	Geneticist	$96,715.32	$230,000
91	Health Insurance Administrator	$96,692.30	$156,735
92	Aircraft Operator	$96,641.77	$157,157
93	Textile Technology	$96,357.97	$140,355
94	Accountant	$96,295.25	$241,100
95	Letterpress Operator	$96,245.46	$131,125
96	Welding Engineer	$96,100.33	$142,227
97	Public Health Program Specialist	$95,852.55	$232,470
98	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$95,794.17	$125,677
99	Microbiologist	$95,764.04	$250,000
100	Plant Pathologist	$95,701.39	$178,160

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.