Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2010

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2010, ranked by average pay. In 2010, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $183,574. The runner-up job, "Patent Administration," follows with an average of $156,089, which is a 14.97% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$183,574.49	$395,055
2	Patent Administrator	$156,088.72	$179,700
3	Administrative Law Judge	$155,914.64	$165,300
4	Patent Attorney	$148,687.93	$165,300
5	Patent Classifying	$147,165.50	$155,827
6	Dental Officer	$142,757.42	$300,000
7	Technical Systems Program Manager	$140,368.16	$189,700
8	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$135,727.54	$222,815
9	Chief Engineer	$135,483.93	$157,870
10	Program Manager	$133,968.14	$293,754
11	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$133,157.83	$151,200
12	Securities Compliance Examiner	$131,867.83	$235,700
13	General Attorney	$131,744.07	$268,059
14	Metallurgist	$131,263.00	$170,231
15	Nuclear Engineer	$131,094.49	$210,691
16	Patent Adviser	$129,845.82	$155,500
17	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$129,805.42	$179,700
18	Physicist	$128,767.34	$250,000
19	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$128,701.24	$215,640
20	Financial Manager	$124,422.70	$247,500
21	Mathematician	$123,991.60	$176,947
22	Computer Scientist	$123,477.82	$226,664
23	Mediator	$122,596.85	$168,838
24	Bank Note Engraver	$122,515.64	$167,713
25	General Mathematican/Statistician	$121,255.45	$133,763
26	Air Safety Investigator	$121,161.67	$179,700
27	General Engineer	$120,967.85	$238,338
28	Music Specialist	$119,935.00	$119,935
29	Aerospace Engineer	$118,941.20	$222,315
30	Zoologist	$118,518.25	$165,300
31	Naval Architect	$118,191.78	$155,500
32	Design Patent Examier	$118,129.70	$155,827
33	Pharmacologist	$117,814.11	$245,553
34	Health System Administrator	$117,555.79	$242,595
35	Computer Engineer	$117,490.08	$199,869
36	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$117,388.53	$218,566
37	Materials Engineer	$117,031.34	$170,300
38	Education Researcher	$116,945.75	$167,029
39	Electronics Engineer	$116,618.93	$183,967
40	Air Traffic Controller	$115,318.50	$193,060
41	Health Physicist	$115,050.06	$165,500
42	Photographic Technology	$114,605.92	$162,038
43	Actuarial Scientist	$114,601.81	$179,700
44	Transportation Industry Analyst	$114,562.41	$155,500
45	International Cooperation Personnel	$114,299.07	$155,500
46	Oceanographer	$113,791.99	$179,700
47	Plant Physiologist	$113,534.08	$200,243
48	Marine Survey Technician	$113,005.79	$148,806
49	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$112,796.11	$179,655
50	Toxicologist	$112,336.58	$200,000
51	General Physical Scientist	$112,102.47	$230,700
52	Chemical Engineer	$111,753.35	$225,000
53	Operations Researcher	$111,710.26	$184,448
54	Insurance Examiner	$111,164.68	$161,923
55	Economist	$110,347.48	$250,000
56	Physiologist	$110,255.13	$250,000
57	Financial Institution Examiner	$110,088.73	$259,500
58	Geophysicist	$109,679.88	$167,300
59	Mathematical Statistician	$109,464.53	$248,389
60	Clothing Designer	$109,331.00	$133,887
61	Geodesist	$109,061.92	$155,500
62	Cryptanalyst	$108,849.00	$142,059
63	Aviation Safety Personnel	$108,358.77	$194,385
64	Pharmacist	$107,969.24	$198,499
65	Fire Protection Engineer	$107,735.44	$162,168
66	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$107,395.89	$162,900
67	Environmental Engineer	$107,313.14	$179,700
68	Intaglio Press Operator	$107,199.53	$149,301
69	Chemist	$106,283.14	$250,000
70	International Relations Personnel	$106,196.85	$170,606
71	Education Programmer	$106,118.13	$199,700
72	Environmental Protection Specialist	$105,978.81	$209,484
73	Patent Examiner	$105,182.48	$166,236
74	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$104,304.46	$136,920
75	Highway Safety Personnel	$104,240.03	$156,100
76	Electrical Engineer	$104,227.02	$200,000
77	Mechanical Engineer	$103,960.14	$170,563
78	Plant Pathologist	$103,592.20	$188,160
79	Trade Specialist	$103,548.18	$161,385
80	Wage and Hour Compliance Personnel	$103,409.94	$155,500
81	Podiatrist	$103,379.71	$172,335
82	Document Analyst	$103,311.26	$149,276
83	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$103,133.86	$157,375
84	Industrial Specialist	$102,993.05	$163,355
85	Aircraft Operator	$102,938.07	$166,739
86	Food Technologist	$102,823.15	$219,458
87	Architect	$102,559.65	$179,700
88	Health Insurance Administrator	$102,451.08	$161,500
89	Accountant	$102,255.49	$245,700
90	Photoengraver	$102,209.73	$132,633
91	Geneticist	$102,125.52	$230,000
92	Safety Engineer	$101,180.87	$179,700
93	Financial Analyst	$101,048.23	$236,700
94	Sociologist	$100,873.79	$160,500
95	Letterpress Operator	$100,855.79	$141,761
96	Public Health Program Specialist	$100,567.37	$205,400
97	Textile Technology	$100,548.00	$147,857
98	Optometrist	$100,398.60	$165,300
99	Animal Scientist	$100,358.51	$157,849
100	Unemployment Insurance Employee	$99,984.86	$141,175

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.