Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2012

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2012, ranked by average pay. In 2012, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $189,281. The runner-up job, "Patent Administration," follows with an average of $158,021, which is a 16.52% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$189,281.41	$398,322
2	Patent Administrator	$158,020.78	$180,200
3	Patent Attorney	$157,203.58	$185,300
4	Administrative Law Judge	$155,544.00	$173,575
5	Securities Compliance Examiner	$155,258.51	$249,614
6	Patent Classifying	$150,724.54	$158,852
7	Dental Officer	$147,168.56	$300,000
8	Emergency Management Specialist	$143,154.00	$143,154
9	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$140,814.96	$179,909
10	Technical Systems Program Manager	$140,761.13	$188,136
11	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$135,529.35	$165,700
12	Program Manager	$134,068.08	$247,481
13	General Attorney	$132,422.70	$270,000
14	Patent Adviser	$131,197.50	$155,500
15	Nuclear Engineer	$131,010.16	$242,595
16	Metallurgist	$130,939.32	$170,231
17	Chief Engineer	$130,237.38	$157,471
18	Physicist	$129,496.20	$250,000
19	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$128,951.21	$210,988
20	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$128,914.89	$179,700
21	Financial Manager	$126,034.55	$249,070
22	General Mathematican/Statistician	$125,980.22	$175,001
23	Air Traffic Controller	$125,092.97	$191,924
24	Mathematician	$123,920.76	$224,983
25	Computer Scientist	$123,472.43	$212,000
26	Design Patent Examier	$122,253.57	$161,774
27	General Engineer	$122,029.66	$230,700
28	Pharmacologist	$121,370.19	$261,950
29	Health System Administrator	$121,290.32	$242,595
30	Air Safety Investigator	$120,955.87	$167,697
31	Mediator	$120,853.91	$173,924
32	Aerospace Engineer	$120,096.12	$197,706
33	Zoologist	$119,151.47	$173,565
34	Materials Engineer	$118,064.62	$170,231
35	Computer Engineer	$118,021.58	$201,869
36	Electronics Engineer	$117,971.40	$185,757
37	Financial Institution Examiner	$117,907.87	$270,000
38	Actuarial Scientist	$117,420.76	$179,700
39	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$117,121.60	$222,877
40	Naval Architect	$115,210.33	$155,500
41	Photographic Technology	$115,132.14	$160,538
42	Chemical Engineer	$114,920.82	$225,000
43	Health Physicist	$114,706.50	$172,800
44	Toxicologist	$114,375.72	$200,000
45	Insurance Examiner	$114,306.68	$158,845
46	Plant Physiologist	$114,227.57	$179,004
47	Geophysicist	$113,987.91	$165,300
48	General Physical Scientist	$113,568.59	$230,700
49	Oceanographer	$113,524.55	$172,674
50	Geodesist	$113,427.06	$155,500
51	Education Researcher	$113,153.29	$155,500
52	Transportation Industry Analyst	$113,002.44	$155,500
53	Operations Researcher	$112,364.10	$199,160
54	Economist	$112,353.80	$250,000
55	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$111,366.97	$179,655
56	Cryptanalyst	$111,213.85	$144,385
57	Marine Survey Technician	$110,533.33	$148,806
58	Fire Protection Engineer	$110,469.99	$158,985
59	Mathematical Statistician	$110,406.19	$248,389
60	International Relations Personnel	$110,342.54	$175,520
61	Aviation Safety Personnel	$110,194.97	$182,700
62	Physiologist	$110,098.88	$250,000
63	Pharmacist	$109,590.61	$197,999
64	Financial Analyst	$109,189.81	$237,045
65	Civil Rights Analyst	$108,993.05	$155,658
66	Environmental Engineer	$108,190.16	$198,000
67	International Cooperation Personnel	$108,128.59	$156,000
68	Chemist	$107,069.65	$250,000
69	Environmental Protection Specialist	$106,949.30	$179,700
70	Plant Pathologist	$105,840.87	$188,719
71	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$105,818.94	$162,900
72	Education Programmer	$105,611.00	$199,700
73	Patent Examiner	$105,303.16	$170,687
74	Electrical Engineer	$104,607.22	$200,000
75	Trade Specialist	$104,559.64	$163,468
76	Mechanical Engineer	$104,523.81	$169,240
77	Food Technologist	$104,472.43	$219,458
78	Industrial Specialist	$104,442.43	$167,706
79	Architect	$104,161.45	$179,700
80	Geneticist	$104,102.75	$240,000
81	Aircraft Operator	$103,728.42	$169,240
82	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$103,619.09	$133,845
83	Intaglio Press Operator	$103,617.06	$147,722
84	Health Insurance Administrator	$103,556.25	$175,042
85	Highway Safety Personnel	$103,122.47	$152,635
86	Document Analyst	$102,939.36	$152,635
87	Accountant	$102,877.20	$250,684
88	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$102,473.00	$158,753
89	Podiatrist	$102,346.12	$167,300
90	Unemployment Insurance Employee	$102,314.53	$141,175
91	Clothing Designer	$101,875.50	$105,357
92	Animal Scientist	$101,744.68	$155,500
93	Safety Engineer	$101,599.69	$179,700
94	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$101,334.91	$144,977
95	Microbiologist	$101,215.06	$250,000
96	Entomology	$101,092.32	$173,565
97	Workforce Development Personnel	$101,056.25	$176,780
98	Information Technology Manager	$100,795.65	$251,278
99	Optometrist	$100,698.14	$165,300
100	Auditor	$100,279.82	$252,296

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.