Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2019

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2019, ranked by average pay. In 2019, the number one most well-paid job was "Securities Compliance Examining," with an average yearly pay of $194,447. The runner-up job, "Administrative Law Judge," follows with an average of $171,484, which is a 11.81% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Securities Compliance Examiner	$194,446.89	$246,900
2	Administrative Law Judge	$171,484.15	$189,242
3	Patent Attorney	$169,769.74	$192,300
4	Patent Administrator	$166,179.65	$192,300
5	Technical Systems Program Manager	$159,385.17	$192,300
6		$158,471.82	$213,600
7	Chief Engineer	$156,528.17	$170,710
8	General Mathematican/Statistician	$153,072.76	$246,900
9	Metallurgist	$150,896.82	$192,300
10	Program Manager	$147,691.39	$331,175
11	Patent Classifying	$146,973.74	$166,500
12	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$146,036.83	$190,562
13	General Attorney	$144,538.61	$283,700
14	Financial Analyst	$144,337.34	$278,275
15	Physicist	$142,473.29	$275,000
16	Mathematician	$141,411.38	$263,788
17	Financial Manager	$139,880.12	$268,391
18	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$139,059.29	$192,300
19	Patent Adviser	$137,092.38	$166,500
20	Pharmacologist	$136,330.94	$313,756
21	Financial Institution Examiner	$135,589.39	$283,567
22	Health System Administrator	$135,468.19	$205,800
23	Computer Scientist	$134,235.46	$220,717
24	Education Researcher	$133,694.35	$166,500
25	Actuarial Scientist	$133,290.67	$192,300
26	Aerospace Engineer	$132,638.38	$192,300
27	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$132,052.83	$213,600
28	Electronics Engineer	$131,841.34	$192,300
29	General Engineer	$131,007.96	$246,900
30	Medical Officer	$130,575.42	$417,608
31	Computer Engineer	$130,530.67	$192,300
32	Naval Architect	$130,077.12	$166,500
33	Transportation Industry Analyst	$129,794.30	$182,473
34	Air Safety Investigator	$129,605.86	$166,500
35	Cryptanalyst	$129,413.82	$166,500
36	Document Analyst	$129,373.85	$166,500
37	Air Traffic Controller	$129,131.29	$192,300
38	Zoologist	$128,597.67	$178,831
39	Mediator	$128,028.46	$176,900
40	Economist	$127,924.32	$282,500
41	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$127,163.68	$192,300
42	International Cooperation Personnel	$126,887.76	$166,500
43	Operations Researcher	$126,797.08	$250,000
44	International Relations Personnel	$126,127.05	$192,300
45	Fire Protection Engineer	$126,086.84	$166,500
46	Patent Examiner	$125,981.37	$166,500
47	Plant Physiologist	$125,975.32	$210,700
48	Mathematical Statistician	$125,810.71	$249,829
49	General Physical Scientist	$125,778.61	$263,962
50	Oceanographer	$125,604.45	$192,300
51	Materials Engineer	$125,525.61	$183,300
52	Health Physicist	$124,666.56	$176,935
53	Toxicologist	$124,521.80	$250,000
54	Industrial Specialist	$123,805.15	$189,760
55	Pharmacist	$123,439.83	$225,000
56	Geodesist	$123,329.30	$178,029
57	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$123,119.11	$192,300
58	Geophysicist	$122,678.64	$192,300
59	Marine Survey Technician	$122,143.57	$166,500
60	Food Technologist	$121,939.00	$176,023
61	Aviation Safety Personnel	$121,808.29	$192,300
62	Chemical Engineer	$121,717.49	$166,500
63	Clothing Designer	$121,711.33	$135,615
64	Navigational Information Personnel	$121,655.03	$192,300
65	Civil Rights Analyst	$121,125.91	$166,500
66	Chemist	$120,948.01	$284,681
67	Design Patent Examier	$120,827.38	$166,500
68	Accountant	$120,387.53	$278,188
69	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$120,096.90	$166,500
70	Dental Officer	$119,754.01	$374,320
71	Health Insurance Administrator	$119,047.46	$166,500
72	Plant Pathologist	$118,947.82	$210,700
73	Trade Specialist	$118,922.79	$166,500
74	Physiologist	$118,590.12	$295,503
75	Environmental Engineer	$118,261.15	$185,818
76	Electrical Engineer	$118,253.16	$213,600
77	Animal Scientist	$117,018.35	$174,612
78	Geneticist	$116,761.62	$275,000
79	Architect	$116,428.94	$208,797
80	Auditor	$116,381.72	$273,400
81	Intaglio Press Operator	$116,321.71	$161,012
82	Information Technology Manager	$116,305.64	$277,375
83	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$116,286.80	$152,067
84	Chemical Plant Operator	$116,267.00	$116,267
85	Education Programmer	$116,128.03	$184,900
86	Microbiologist	$115,646.38	$273,261
87	Aircrew Technician	$115,192.00	$115,192
88	Mechanical Engineer	$115,186.15	$192,300
89	Aircraft Operator	$115,039.62	$192,226
90	Workforce Researcher and Analyst	$114,803.26	$165,417
91	Insurance Examiner	$114,703.47	$166,500
92	Workforce Development Personnel	$113,893.16	$192,300
93	Import Compliance Personnel	$113,671.25	$136,725
94	Physician Assistant	$113,636.34	$166,500
95	Environmental Protection Specialist	$113,093.88	$189,760
96	Optometrist	$112,932.44	$175,512
97	Public Health Educator	$112,496.67	$166,500
98	Letterpress Operator	$112,368.94	$152,038
99	Highway Safety Personnel	$112,203.83	$166,500
100	Petroleum Engineer	$112,146.57	$205,760

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.