Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2017

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2017, ranked by average pay. In 2017, the number one most well-paid job was "Securities Compliance Examining," with an average yearly pay of $181,013. The runner-up job, "Patent Attorney," follows with an average of $170,079, which is a 6.04% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Securities Compliance Examiner	$181,013.05	$244,184
2	Patent Attorney	$170,078.62	$190,444
3	Nurse Anesthetist (title 38)	$167,817.78	$207,800
4	Administrative Law Judge	$163,112.65	$183,425
5	Patent Administrator	$161,308.19	$187,148
6	Technical Systems Program Manager	$153,430.34	$199,548
7	General Mathematican/Statistician	$153,213.81	$241,600
8	Chief Engineer	$150,802.80	$165,164
9	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$141,981.07	$181,562
10	Program Manager	$141,594.98	$325,000
11	Patent Classifying	$137,808.73	$161,900
12	Mathematician	$136,933.53	$258,616
13	Physicist	$136,591.40	$270,400
14	Patent Adviser	$136,010.67	$161,900
15	Financial Analyst	$135,750.01	$286,345
16	Naval Architect	$135,552.57	$161,900
17	Financial Manager	$134,670.97	$280,500
18	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$134,259.06	$187,000
19	Health System Administrator	$130,791.48	$225,398
20	General Attorney	$130,515.48	$287,774
21	General Engineer	$129,820.34	$240,100
22	Aerospace Engineer	$128,757.00	$193,840
23	Pharmacologist	$128,532.82	$248,699
24	Actuarial Scientist	$128,524.49	$187,000
25	Zoologist	$127,874.93	$173,417
26	Financial Institution Examiner	$127,730.90	$288,524
27	Electronics Engineer	$126,745.93	$192,879
28	Medical Officer	$126,492.48	$390,000
29	Computer Engineer	$126,361.39	$199,869
30	Computer Scientist	$125,751.17	$220,000
31	Mediator	$125,411.46	$172,100
32	Cryptanalyst	$125,324.94	$163,900
33	Air Traffic Controller	$125,111.51	$202,285
34	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$125,054.89	$207,800
35	Education Researcher	$124,507.04	$187,000
36	Air Safety Investigator	$123,652.82	$163,400
37	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$122,989.24	$187,000
38	Materials Engineer	$122,619.24	$172,100
39	Geodesist	$122,557.61	$163,817
40	Patent Examiner	$122,477.09	$170,388
41	Transportation Industry Analyst	$122,120.60	$161,900
42	Plant Physiologist	$121,661.62	$207,800
43	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$121,514.87	$187,000
44	Economist	$121,423.56	$268,000
45	Operations Researcher	$121,370.72	$192,522
46	General Physical Scientist	$121,243.13	$245,670
47	Credit Union Examiner	$121,196.65	$279,000
48	Metallurgist	$121,070.56	$187,000
49	International Cooperation Personnel	$120,920.97	$161,900
50	Fire Protection Engineer	$120,676.11	$172,100
51	Health Physicist	$120,350.15	$172,100
52	Oceanographer	$120,055.00	$187,000
53	International Relations Personnel	$120,012.43	$187,000
54	Toxicologist	$119,765.39	$250,000
55	Mathematical Statistician	$119,686.70	$273,345
56	Navigational Information Personnel	$118,184.03	$192,301
57	Pharmacist	$118,172.82	$225,000
58	Geophysicist	$117,702.23	$187,500
59	Chemical Engineer	$117,356.30	$172,546
60	Industrial Specialist	$117,142.38	$187,000
61	Marine Survey Technician	$116,697.59	$161,900
62	Aviation Safety Personnel	$116,576.47	$190,165
63	Document Analyst	$116,266.73	$161,900
64	Dental Officer	$115,751.84	$337,925
65	Civil Rights Analyst	$115,479.21	$162,500
66	Photographic Technology	$115,096.55	$165,480
67	Food Technologist	$114,228.63	$163,900
68	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$113,909.02	$161,900
69	Plant Pathologist	$113,795.37	$207,800
70	Environmental Engineer	$113,701.67	$206,525
71	Environmental Protection Specialist	$113,352.75	$186,898
72	Trade Specialist	$113,350.60	$163,900
73	Accountant	$113,284.65	$282,080
74	Chemist	$113,095.73	$270,400
75	Health Insurance Administrator	$113,080.41	$167,400
76	Physiologist	$112,644.22	$243,595
77	Education Programmer	$112,588.42	$199,700
78	Intaglio Press Operator	$112,554.96	$155,616
79	Architect	$112,433.78	$197,000
80	Geneticist	$112,012.65	$267,800
81	Podiatrist	$111,709.33	$176,853
82	Animal Scientist	$111,629.18	$174,612
83	Insurance Examiner	$110,488.44	$162,665
84	Aircraft Operator	$110,472.26	$186,617
85	Electrical Engineer	$110,406.14	$208,550
86	Information Technology Manager	$109,669.11	$278,771
87	Microbiologist	$109,624.35	$260,100
88	Design Patent Examier	$109,577.19	$161,900
89	Mechanical Engineer	$108,922.12	$188,000
90	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$108,798.52	$155,073
91	Electronic Integrated Systems Mechanic	$108,550.84	$167,336
92	Auditor	$108,375.88	$279,000
93	Highway Safety Personnel	$108,265.39	$161,900
94	Letterpress Operator	$108,182.09	$146,339
95	Workforce Development Personnel	$108,080.31	$187,000
96	Instructional Systems Employee	$108,009.83	$202,372
97	Petroleum Engineer	$107,717.62	$190,639
98	Entomology	$107,144.28	$201,086
99	Safety Engineer	$107,112.65	$187,000
100	Public Health Educator	$106,674.77	$161,900

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.