Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2013

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2013, ranked by average pay. In 2013, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $192,770. The runner-up job, "Patent Attorney," follows with an average of $158,863, which is a 17.59% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$192,769.55	$401,589
2	Patent Attorney	$158,862.80	$208,360
3	Patent Administrator	$158,137.58	$179,700
4	Administrative Law Judge	$157,536.83	$173,575
5	Securities Compliance Examiner	$151,562.69	$237,211
6	Patent Classifying	$150,466.96	$157,420
7	Dental Officer	$149,163.98	$300,000
8	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$145,609.02	$199,700
9	Technical Systems Program Manager	$142,156.68	$182,636
10	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$135,247.15	$165,300
11	Chief Engineer	$134,185.74	$157,471
12	Program Manager	$133,078.02	$247,500
13	General Attorney	$132,785.26	$259,500
14	Patent Adviser	$131,963.55	$156,750
15	Metallurgist	$131,045.00	$170,231
16	Nuclear Engineer	$130,624.55	$179,700
17	General Mathematican/Statistician	$130,216.90	$179,000
18	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$129,195.50	$184,700
19	Physicist	$128,647.71	$250,000
20	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$128,290.71	$179,700
21	Design Patent Examier	$127,635.75	$164,500
22	Financial Manager	$127,085.79	$247,640
23	Air Traffic Controller	$126,500.91	$183,059
24	Mathematician	$125,943.13	$234,938
25	Computer Scientist	$123,512.95	$212,000
26	General Engineer	$122,653.30	$242,595
27	Pharmacologist	$122,326.59	$261,950
28	Mediator	$122,181.61	$165,300
29	Health System Administrator	$121,927.31	$190,300
30	Air Safety Investigator	$120,492.39	$169,374
31	Aerospace Engineer	$120,193.79	$223,155
32	Zoologist	$120,057.03	$173,565
33	Financial Institution Examiner	$120,002.53	$272,500
34	Photographic Technology	$118,998.54	$166,960
35	Electronics Engineer	$118,793.24	$180,757
36	Computer Engineer	$118,484.86	$199,869
37	Actuarial Scientist	$117,873.05	$180,001
38	Materials Engineer	$117,848.42	$165,300
39	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$116,995.54	$463,893
40	Naval Architect	$115,044.45	$155,500
41	Plant Physiologist	$114,887.73	$179,004
42	Transportation Industry Analyst	$114,694.77	$155,500
43	General Physical Scientist	$114,541.12	$230,700
44	Financial Analyst	$114,399.73	$251,500
45	Health Physicist	$114,377.77	$171,843
46	Chemical Engineer	$114,294.93	$225,000
47	Toxicologist	$114,247.26	$250,000
48	Geodesist	$114,242.11	$155,500
49	Oceanographer	$114,215.69	$172,674
50	Insurance Examiner	$113,617.76	$155,500
51	Economist	$113,409.95	$253,500
52	Geophysicist	$113,064.20	$165,300
53	Operations Researcher	$113,000.51	$179,700
54	Education Researcher	$112,033.89	$179,700
55	Fire Protection Engineer	$111,654.79	$159,759
56	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$111,239.32	$179,655
57	International Relations Personnel	$111,229.89	$175,520
58	Aviation Safety Personnel	$111,019.17	$179,700
59	Mathematical Statistician	$110,960.41	$248,389
60	Marine Survey Technician	$110,691.79	$148,806
61	Pharmacist	$109,799.62	$197,999
62	Physiologist	$109,786.88	$250,000
63	Civil Rights Analyst	$109,743.64	$155,502
64	Cryptanalyst	$109,422.45	$148,510
65	Environmental Engineer	$108,410.03	$198,000
66	International Cooperation Personnel	$107,881.92	$155,500
67	Patent Examiner	$107,706.90	$169,750
68	Chemist	$107,328.54	$250,000
69	Environmental Protection Specialist	$106,415.60	$179,700
70	Food Technologist	$106,309.67	$222,201
71	Plant Pathologist	$105,815.12	$188,160
72	Trade Specialist	$105,775.75	$163,468
73	Geneticist	$105,625.88	$250,000
74	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$105,613.12	$162,900
75	Electrical Engineer	$105,211.02	$200,000
76	Mechanical Engineer	$104,922.53	$165,300
77	Architect	$104,832.74	$174,830
78	Education Programmer	$104,391.19	$199,700
79	Health Insurance Administrator	$104,185.19	$160,886
80	Aircraft Operator	$103,983.71	$171,047
81	Document Analyst	$103,930.58	$152,635
82	Intaglio Press Operator	$103,899.94	$144,651
83	Industrial Specialist	$103,892.93	$168,373
84	Accountant	$103,529.71	$251,500
85	Hearings and Appeals Personnel	$102,906.87	$158,753
86	Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaker	$102,785.38	$132,520
87	Podiatrist	$102,777.36	$168,800
88	Entomology	$102,164.81	$173,565
89	Unemployment Insurance Employee	$102,063.00	$144,990
90	Microbiologist	$101,834.87	$250,000
91	Auditor	$101,784.40	$235,960
92	Information Technology Manager	$101,732.20	$250,000
93	Highway Safety Personnel	$101,576.06	$155,500
94	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$101,498.39	$144,977
95	Workforce Development Personnel	$101,412.74	$173,000
96	Navigational Information Personnel	$101,095.06	$170,550
97	Safety Engineer	$100,731.55	$179,700
98	Animal Scientist	$100,723.25	$155,500
99	Customs and Border Protection Interdiction Agent	$100,538.35	$153,878
100	Letterpress Operator	$100,404.89	$136,611

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.