Executive & Senior Level Pay Tables

Executive Schedule - ES Level 5 Pay

Pay Grade:

ES-5

Yearly Pay:

$183,100

Monthly Pay:

$15,258

Hourly Pay:

$88

Education Req's:

Ph.D.

The Executive Schedule (ES) sets the yearly salaries for top government officials, including the leaders and senior personnel in over 75 Federal government agencies.

Level V Executive Schedule is the pay grade directly above grade 15 on the General Schedule. Level V positions are considered equivalent to a one star general in the US armed forces. SES Level V positions are usually Directors or Associate Directors of smaller agencies and commissions.

Since 2020, the yearly pay for an ES Level 5 official has been raised 12.56% from $160,100 per year to $183,100 per year.

For more information, visit the 2025 Senior Executive Service payscale page.

Year	Salary	Year	Salary	Year	Salary	Year	Salary	Year	Salary
2025	$183,100	2024	$180,000	2023	$172,100	2022	$165,300	2021	$161,700
2020	$160,100	2019	$156,000	2018	$153,800	2017	$151,700	2016	$150,200

Who gets paid at ES Level 5?

Here's a list of 80 high-level federal positions that are classified under Level 5 of the Executive Schedule. For more details, click on any position title to view the applicable Wikipedia page (links open in new window).

Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration, Department of Energy	Administrator, National Capital Transportation Agency
Associate Administrators, Small Business Administration	Associate Administrators, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Associate Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration	Deputy Associate Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Archivist of the United States	Assistant Attorney General for Administration
Assistant and Science Adviser to the Secretary of the Interior	Chairman, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States, Department of Justice
Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear & Chemical & Biological Defense Programs, Department of Defense	Chairman of the Renegotiation Board
Chairman of the Subversive Activities Control Board	Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury
Commissioner, Federal Supply Service, General Services Administration	Director, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior	Commissioners, Indian Claims Commission
Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration	Commissioner of Reclamation, Department of the Interior
Commissioner of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Health and Human Services	Commissioner of Welfare, Department of Health and Human Services
Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Defense	Director, United States Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior
Director, United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior	Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Department of the Treasury
Deputy General Counsel, Department of Defense	Associate Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Associate Director for Volunteers, Peace Corps	Associate Director for Program Development and Operations, Peace Corps
Assistants to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice	Assistant Directors, Office of Emergency Planning
Fiscal Assistant Secretary of the Treasury	General Counsel of the Agency for International Development
General Counsel of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission	General Counsel of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Manpower Administrator, Department of Labor	Members, Renegotiation Board
Members, Subversive Activities Control Board	Deputy UnderSecretaries of Defense for Research and Engineering, Department of Defense
Assistant Administrator of General Services	Director, United States Travel Service, Department of Commerce
Administrator, Wage and Hour and Public Contracts Division, Department of Labor	Assistant Director Program Planning, Analysis and Research, Office of Economic Opportunity
Deputy Director, National Security Agency	Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior
Director, National Park Service, Department of the Interior	National Export Expansion Coordinator, Department of the Commerce
Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense	Staff Director, Commission on Civil Rights
Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Transportation	Director, United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Institution	Administrator, Environmental Science Services Administration
Associate Directors, Office of Personnel Management	Assistant Federal Highway Administrator
Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration	Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Assistant Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration	Director, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Department of Justice
Vice Presidents, Overseas Private Investment Corporation	Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation
General Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	Executive Director, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Additional officers, Department of Energy	Additional officers, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Assistant Administrator for Coastal Zone Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Assistant Administrators, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	General Counsel, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Members, Federal Labor Relations Authority	General Counsel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Additional officers, Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation	Additional officers, Office of Management and Budget
Associate Deputy Secretary, Department of Transportation	Chief Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Director, Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services	Commissioners, United States Parole Commission
Commissioner, Administration for Children and Families	Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration DEA, Department of Justice

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