Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2009

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2009, ranked by average pay. In 2009, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $176,280. The runner-up job, "Patent Administration," follows with an average of $154,691, which is a 12.25% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$176,280.41	$393,411
2	Patent Administrator	$154,690.70	$211,680
3	Administrative Law Judge	$153,805.44	$162,900
4	Welding Engineer	$149,025.00	$149,025
5	Patent Attorney	$147,757.87	$192,094
6	Patent Classifying	$146,686.67	$159,905
7	Technical Systems Program Manager	$137,493.91	$184,794
8	Dental Officer	$135,875.26	$300,000
9	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$135,193.05	$213,435
10	Bank Note Engraver	$130,540.80	$148,666
11	Program Manager	$130,126.14	$253,195
12	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$129,717.32	$148,500
13	General Attorney	$129,370.21	$267,559
14	Chief Engineer	$128,493.88	$154,205
15	Nuclear Engineer	$128,476.59	$238,950
16	Sculptural Engraver	$128,463.00	$128,463
17	Metallurgist	$127,986.42	$168,900
18	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$127,027.00	$211,282
19	Siderographic Transferring Employee	$126,234.00	$139,956
20	Physicist	$125,481.24	$250,000
21	Patent Adviser	$125,249.00	$153,053
22	Securities Compliance Examiner	$124,745.02	$234,300
23	Mathematician	$124,681.05	$173,938
24	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$123,935.52	$201,164
25	Computer Scientist	$121,662.55	$212,000
26	Financial Manager	$119,929.30	$242,999
27	General Engineer	$118,501.60	$237,270
28	Mediator	$118,383.66	$163,200
29	Education Researcher	$118,251.94	$164,561
30	Music Specialist	$117,469.00	$117,469
31	Zoologist	$117,387.63	$162,900
32	Air Safety Investigator	$117,114.40	$177,000
33	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$116,451.77	$271,200
34	Naval Architect	$116,301.36	$155,700
35	General Mathematican/Statistician	$116,207.38	$128,710
36	Aerospace Engineer	$116,166.68	$192,700
37	Pharmacologist	$114,816.80	$239,564
38	Materials Engineer	$114,514.74	$166,900
39	Health System Administrator	$114,177.12	$238,950
40	Computer Engineer	$114,145.54	$199,869
41	Electronics Engineer	$113,843.39	$178,200
42	Actuarial Scientist	$112,836.50	$177,000
43	Air Traffic Controller	$112,181.88	$186,121
44	Design Patent Examier	$112,117.44	$157,506
45	Health Physicist	$112,007.34	$163,200
46	Transportation Industry Analyst	$111,750.91	$159,200
47	Operations Researcher	$111,253.73	$184,801
48	Oceanographer	$111,067.84	$178,400
49	Chemical Engineer	$110,659.60	$225,000
50	Marine Survey Technician	$110,377.78	$145,747
51	Plant Physiologist	$109,995.02	$174,004
52	General Physical Scientist	$109,636.87	$229,398
53	Photographic Technology	$109,628.69	$158,166
54	Toxicologist	$109,562.38	$200,000
55	Physiologist	$108,860.78	$250,000
56	Geophysicist	$108,430.45	$162,900
57	Economist	$107,285.05	$242,300
58	Mathematical Statistician	$107,222.05	$243,519
59	International Relations Personnel	$107,044.61	$170,606
60	Insurance Examiner	$106,790.75	$158,700
61	Fire Protection Engineer	$106,467.65	$160,470
62	Aviation Safety Personnel	$106,096.30	$183,900
63	Environmental Engineer	$105,808.84	$177,000
64	Pharmacist	$105,486.21	$192,700
65	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$104,758.99	$156,200
66	Financial Institution Examiner	$104,721.55	$265,653
67	Education Programmer	$104,702.52	$196,700
68	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$104,612.86	$177,000
69	Geodesist	$104,141.62	$153,200
70	Chemist	$103,891.83	$253,000
71	Intaglio Press Operator	$103,852.57	$146,525
72	Cryptanalyst	$103,636.25	$138,141
73	Document Analyst	$103,489.86	$144,997
74	Environmental Protection Specialist	$103,055.82	$177,000
75	Clothing Designer	$102,954.67	$127,599
76	Sociologist	$102,896.14	$151,488
77	Electrical Engineer	$102,806.95	$200,000
78	Clerk of Court	$102,721.00	$102,721
79	Civil Rights Analyst	$102,718.45	$153,700
80	Mechanical Engineer	$102,379.15	$165,633
81	Highway Safety Personnel	$101,929.22	$153,353
82	Health Insurance Administrator	$101,791.89	$157,053
83	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$101,685.07	$156,098
84	Industrial Engineer	$101,571.36	$157,562
85	Podiatrist	$101,443.90	$162,900
86	Animal Scientist	$100,733.06	$240,000
87	Trade Specialist	$100,728.51	$159,000
88	Food Technologist	$100,722.05	$215,155
89	Plant Pathologist	$100,602.80	$183,160
90	Geneticist	$100,462.37	$230,000
91	Architect	$100,104.37	$177,000
92	Accountant	$99,879.27	$242,300
93	Patent Examiner	$99,694.11	$163,651
94	Aircraft Operator	$99,562.93	$164,744
95	Letterpress Operator	$99,207.35	$135,915
96	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$99,101.91	$140,588
97	Public Health Program Specialist	$99,076.86	$203,400
98	Industrial Specialist	$98,891.12	$164,194
99	Safety Engineer	$98,321.03	$173,006
100	Correctional Institution Administrator	$98,064.09	$189,700

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.