Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2011

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2011, ranked by average pay. In 2011, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $186,012. The runner-up job, "Patent Administration," follows with an average of $158,161, which is a 14.97% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$186,011.73	$398,322
2	Patent Administrator	$158,160.67	$180,550
3	Administrative Law Judge	$154,577.83	$168,300
4	Patent Attorney	$151,644.72	$179,700
5	Patent Classifying	$151,613.43	$163,975
6	Dental Officer	$144,961.92	$300,000
7	Technical Systems Program Manager	$142,160.49	$224,950
8	Securities Compliance Examiner	$141,793.95	$230,700
9	Bank Note Engraver	$137,990.00	$151,120
10	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$137,307.85	$159,250
11	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$135,297.42	$171,457
12	Program Manager	$134,048.07	$253,195
13	General Attorney	$131,682.01	$259,500
14	Physicist	$131,006.31	$250,000
15	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$130,678.56	$182,871
16	Nuclear Engineer	$130,586.57	$198,360
17	Metallurgist	$130,501.50	$170,231
18	Patent Adviser	$129,999.36	$155,500
19	Chief Engineer	$129,784.46	$157,471
20	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$129,372.74	$242,595
21	Financial Manager	$126,051.50	$247,648
22	Computer Scientist	$124,265.26	$212,000
23	Design Patent Examier	$122,400.25	$163,013
24	Air Safety Investigator	$121,988.82	$179,700
25	General Engineer	$121,562.38	$242,595
26	Mathematician	$121,097.37	$176,547
27	Mediator	$120,606.97	$173,924
28	Air Traffic Controller	$120,385.09	$225,997
29	General Mathematican/Statistician	$119,861.67	$136,293
30	Pharmacologist	$119,744.76	$261,950
31	Aerospace Engineer	$119,453.54	$198,360
32	Health System Administrator	$119,265.92	$242,595
33	Zoologist	$118,242.98	$173,845
34	Materials Engineer	$117,925.84	$170,231
35	Computer Engineer	$117,744.91	$201,369
36	Electronics Engineer	$117,173.99	$185,126
37	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$116,877.16	$204,592
38	Naval Architect	$116,570.33	$155,500
39	Actuarial Scientist	$115,649.17	$179,700
40	Transportation Industry Analyst	$115,170.20	$156,500
41	Financial Institution Examiner	$114,737.78	$259,500
42	Health Physicist	$114,662.73	$165,300
43	Photographic Technology	$114,556.29	$162,038
44	Toxicologist	$113,886.01	$200,000
45	Plant Physiologist	$113,732.68	$179,004
46	Insurance Examiner	$113,338.88	$161,559
47	Oceanographer	$113,070.23	$172,674
48	Chemical Engineer	$112,924.36	$225,000
49	General Physical Scientist	$112,896.96	$242,595
50	Geophysicist	$111,887.63	$167,300
51	Education Researcher	$111,670.74	$155,500
52	Geodesist	$111,424.69	$155,500
53	Physiologist	$111,350.19	$250,000
54	Economist	$111,304.21	$250,000
55	Cryptanalyst	$110,843.11	$146,385
56	Operations Researcher	$110,807.49	$190,529
57	Mathematical Statistician	$110,408.75	$248,389
58	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$110,252.83	$179,655
59	Aviation Safety Personnel	$109,518.74	$194,602
60	Marine Survey Technician	$109,261.98	$148,806
61	International Relations Personnel	$108,970.73	$170,756
62	Wage and Hour Compliance Personnel	$108,748.50	$137,221
63	Fire Protection Engineer	$108,566.69	$160,110
64	Pharmacist	$108,269.91	$197,999
65	International Cooperation Personnel	$107,384.44	$155,500
66	Civil Rights Analyst	$107,135.03	$156,500
67	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$106,980.85	$162,900
68	Chemist	$106,919.45	$250,000
69	Environmental Engineer	$106,814.44	$215,640
70	Intaglio Press Operator	$106,352.07	$147,041
71	Environmental Protection Specialist	$106,296.94	$179,700
72	Patent Examiner	$106,092.66	$167,756
73	Education Programmer	$104,955.02	$199,700
74	Aircraft Operator	$104,944.83	$167,213
75	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$104,727.13	$135,870
76	Mechanical Engineer	$104,613.68	$171,330
77	Financial Analyst	$104,529.61	$232,200
78	Highway Safety Personnel	$104,489.07	$155,500
79	Plant Pathologist	$104,321.49	$188,160
80	Geneticist	$104,178.89	$240,000
81	Trade Specialist	$104,120.56	$161,385
82	Electrical Engineer	$104,014.31	$200,000
83	Architect	$103,901.37	$179,700
84	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$103,574.55	$158,753
85	Podiatrist	$103,569.22	$168,050
86	Document Analyst	$103,524.32	$152,635
87	Health Insurance Administrator	$102,975.98	$161,886
88	Photoengraver	$102,906.50	$110,055
89	Safety Engineer	$102,683.39	$181,200
90	Accountant	$102,457.84	$241,742
91	Industrial Specialist	$102,421.46	$166,580
92	Food Technologist	$101,950.20	$219,458
93	Unemployment Insurance Employee	$101,889.16	$141,175
94	Workforce Development Personnel	$101,319.49	$177,080
95	Microbiologist	$100,837.00	$250,000
96	Public Health Program Specialist	$100,549.80	$203,400
97	Optometrist	$100,391.76	$175,547
98	Credit Union Examiner	$100,368.67	$247,266
99	Animal Scientist	$100,345.48	$156,614
100	Letterpress Operator	$100,117.53	$140,211

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.