Top 100 Federal Occupations in 2020

This table shows the top 100 most well-paid occupations in the federal government in 2020, ranked by average pay. In 2020, the number one most well-paid job was "Medical Officer," with an average yearly pay of $251,055. The runner-up job, "Securities Compliance Examining," follows with an average of $199,912, which is a 20.37% decrease.

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Rank	Occupation Title	Average Pay	Highest Paid Individual
1	Medical Officer	$251,055.46	$464,227
2	Securities Compliance Examiner	$199,911.55	$253,300
3	Dental Officer	$192,586.39	$389,293
4	Administrative Law Judge	$178,224.08	$181,500
5	Patent Attorney	$174,664.85	$197,300
6		$170,652.08	$219,200
7	Patent Administrator	$170,328.14	$197,300
8	Technical Systems Program Manager	$162,582.69	$197,300
9	Chief Engineer	$161,062.25	$175,575
10	Program Manager	$153,309.96	$318,830
11	Podiatrist	$152,591.17	$283,038
12	Patent Classifying	$152,172.76	$170,800
13	Astronomy and Space Scientist	$150,578.88	$194,373
14	Metallurgist	$150,113.85	$197,300
15	General Mathematican/Statistician	$149,358.85	$253,300
16	Physicist	$147,212.01	$251,762
17	General Attorney	$146,901.79	$286,221
18	Financial Manager	$145,321.88	$292,205
19	Mathematician	$144,967.82	$270,300
20	Fish and Wildlife Administrator	$144,619.72	$197,300
21	Patent Adviser	$144,199.63	$170,800
22	Pharmacologist	$143,745.25	$284,465
23	Financial Analyst	$141,313.62	$273,400
24	Actuarial Scientist	$138,561.00	$197,300
25	Health System Administrator	$137,578.70	$213,600
26	Computer Scientist	$136,476.07	$264,000
27	Financial Institution Examiner	$136,417.63	$277,678
28	Aerospace Engineer	$134,909.19	$197,300
29	Document Analyst	$134,719.41	$170,800
30	Foreign Affairs Personnel	$134,648.60	$219,200
31	Computer Engineer	$134,501.69	$197,300
32	Electronics Engineer	$134,133.83	$197,300
33	Air Safety Investigator	$133,886.03	$170,800
34	Mediator	$133,869.27	$181,500
35	Education Researcher	$133,705.56	$170,800
36	Naval Architect	$133,296.19	$170,800
37	General Engineer	$132,871.73	$253,300
38	Air Traffic Controller	$132,558.96	$197,300
39	Transportation Industry Analyst	$131,932.42	$195,894
40	International Relations Personnel	$131,811.02	$197,300
41	Employee Benefits Lawyer	$131,168.78	$197,300
42	Zoologist	$130,690.29	$180,798
43	Operations Researcher	$130,516.27	$262,500
44	Oceanographer	$130,399.78	$197,300
45	Patent Examiner	$130,134.15	$170,800
46	Economist	$129,870.05	$277,600
47	Pharmacist	$129,665.00	$226,314
48	Fire Protection Engineer	$129,259.11	$170,800
49	Foreign Agricultural Affairs Personnel	$129,170.16	$196,531
50	Industrial Specialist	$128,970.95	$196,440
51	Geodesist	$128,887.82	$186,218
52	Mathematical Statistician	$128,458.14	$283,921
53	Clothing Designer	$128,157.00	$144,049
54	Toxicologist	$127,858.77	$250,000
55	Materials Engineer	$127,802.88	$188,066
56	Cryptanalyst	$127,127.56	$170,800
57	General Physical Scientist	$127,002.60	$260,000
58		$126,973.00	$126,973
59	Health Physicist	$126,532.58	$182,243
60	Geophysicist	$125,669.17	$197,300
61	Chemical Engineer	$125,324.13	$240,581
62	Labor-Management Relations Examiner	$125,193.89	$170,800
63	Aviation Safety Personnel	$125,103.57	$197,300
64	Plant Physiologist	$124,910.46	$197,300
65	Aircraft Operator	$124,739.15	$197,300
66	Fingerprint Identifier	$124,646.56	$157,709
67	Chemist	$124,589.24	$274,880
68	Navigational Information Personnel	$124,472.18	$197,300
69	Food Technologist	$124,408.18	$183,064
70	Marine Survey Technician	$123,918.95	$170,800
71	International Cooperation Personnel	$123,828.08	$170,800
72	Health Insurance Administrator	$123,679.60	$171,245
73	Accountant	$122,584.75	$273,400
74	Trade Specialist	$121,584.66	$170,800
75	Electrical Engineer	$120,716.63	$230,160
76	Intaglio Press Operator	$120,688.09	$166,689
77	Insurance Examiner	$120,570.78	$161,730
78	Environmental Engineer	$120,402.14	$190,835
79	Civil Rights Analyst	$120,335.86	$181,048
80	Auditor	$120,123.33	$273,400
81	Information Technology Manager	$120,096.47	$277,678
82	Explosives Safety Personnel	$119,645.17	$166,501
83	Architect	$119,122.85	$218,044
84	Education Programmer	$118,684.90	$203,500
85	Design Patent Examier	$118,624.99	$170,800
86	Microbiologist	$118,591.91	$270,299
87	Petroleum Engineer	$118,165.37	$214,872
88	Forest Products Technology Personnel	$118,148.47	$156,403
89		$118,050.80	$134,424
90	Physician Assistant	$117,856.95	$170,800
91	Workforce Researcher and Analyst	$117,839.79	$170,800
92	Tax Law Specialist	$117,799.61	$170,800
93	Plant Pathologist	$117,709.61	$197,300
94	Geneticist	$117,513.32	$275,000
95	Electronic Integrated Systems Mechanic	$117,166.96	$181,339
96	Animal Scientist	$117,119.64	$170,800
97	Electrical Power Controller	$117,018.84	$187,079
98	Optometrist	$116,942.41	$190,493
99	Physiologist	$116,904.19	$261,039
100	Letterpress Operator	$116,618.27	$157,381

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.