Salary Benchmark · Agencies · Occupations
Federal Salary Benchmark 2026
See how your GS pay compares to the average for your agency, job series, and grade — using OPM EHRI April 2026 data across 53 agencies and 73 occupation series. Enter your grade, step, and locality for a personalized benchmark.
Reviewed by Jonathan D., 20-year federal employee · Formulas verified against OPM.gov ·
Data: OPM EHRI April 2026 snapshot · 53 agencies · 73 occupation series · This is aggregate average data — not a name/individual lookup. Next refresh: September 2026.
Showing 53 of 53 agencies
| Agency | Avg Salary | Data | FTE (2024) | Top Occupations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commodity Futures Trading Commission CFTC | $252,590 | Verified | 700 | Futures trading & derivatives investigators, Economists & financial analysts | Details → |
Securities and Exchange Commission SEC | $240,394 | Verified | 4,900 | Securities examiners & financial analysts, Attorneys & enforcement specialists | Details → |
Federal Housing Finance Agency FHFA | $209,779 | Verified | 700 | Examiners & supervisory analysts (Fannie/Freddie), Economists & housing finance specialists | Details → |
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau CFPB | $197,852 | Verified | 1,600 | Consumer response & complaint specialists, Examiners (banks, mortgage servicers, student lenders) | Details → |
Millennium Challenge Corporation MCC | $186,141 | Verified | 300 | International development economists, Country operations & compact development specialists | Details → |
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FDIC | $185,172 | Benchmark | 6,500 | Bank examiners & financial analysts, Attorneys & legal counsel | Details → |
National Science Foundation NSF | $165,026 | Verified | 1,500 | Program officers & research administrators (STEM), Mathematical & physical scientists | Details → |
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board FRTIB | $157,812 | Verified | 240 | Investment managers & financial analysts, IT & cybersecurity specialists (TSP systems) | Details → |
Export-Import Bank of the United States EXIM | $154,978 | Verified | 400 | Financial analysts & credit underwriters, International trade & export specialists | Details → |
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation DFC | $154,328 | Verified | 500 | Investment officers & financial analysts, International development specialists | Details → |
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation PBGC | $153,193 | Verified | 900 | Actuaries & pension analysts, Financial analysts & accountants | Details → |
Nuclear Regulatory Commission NRC | $151,689 | Benchmark | 2,800 | Nuclear engineers & reactor inspectors, Health physicists & radiation safety specialists | Details → |
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC | $151,237 | Verified | 1,600 | Energy regulators & rate analysts, Attorneys & enforcement counsel | Details → |
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service FMCS | $150,896 | Verified | 90 | Federal mediators & conciliators, Labor-management relations specialists | Details → |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA | $147,868 | Verified | 18,000 | Aerospace engineers & scientists, Computer scientists & software engineers | Details → |
Department of Education ED | $146,065 | Benchmark | 4,100 | Policy analysts & program officers, Financial analysts (student aid programs) | Details → |
Department of Energy DOE | $145,131 | Benchmark | 16,300 | Nuclear engineers & physicists, Environmental scientists & engineers | Details → |
Peace Corps Peace Corps | $144,282 | Verified | 900 | Program specialists & country desk officers, Recruitment & applicant relations | Details → |
Department of Transportation DOT | $142,720 | Verified | 55,700 | Air traffic controllers & aviation safety (FAA), Transportation safety investigators (NTSB) | Details → |
U.S. Agency for Global Media USAGM | $141,707 | Verified | 3,900 | Journalists & multimedia producers, Foreign language broadcasters | Details → |
National Labor Relations Board NLRB | $141,658 | Verified | 1,600 | Field examiners (union election & ULP investigators), Attorneys & appellate counsel | Details → |
Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD | $141,201 | Benchmark | 8,800 | Housing program specialists (FHA, Section 8), Community development & CDBG specialists | Details → |
Federal Election Commission FEC | $140,332 | Verified | 300 | Campaign finance attorneys & compliance specialists, Disclosure analysts & auditors | Details → |
Environmental Protection Agency EPA | $135,591 | Benchmark | 15,600 | Environmental scientists & engineers, Environmental protection specialists | Details → |
Department of Health and Human Services HHS | $134,737 | Verified | 84,800 | Medical & public health scientists (NIH, CDC), Social insurance & welfare administrators (CMS) | Details → |
Department of State State | $134,391 | Verified | 31,100 | Foreign Service officers & diplomats, Civil Service analysts & specialists | Details → |
National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities NEA/NEH | $133,666 | Verified | 200 | Arts and humanities program specialists, Grant reviewers and program officers | Details → |
Presidio Trust Presidio Trust | $133,472 | Verified | 323 | Facilities and building management (historic properties), Real estate and property management | Details → |
General Services Administration GSA | $131,917 | Benchmark | 12,900 | Contracting & acquisition specialists, Facilities & real property managers | Details → |
Department of Commerce Commerce | $128,258 | Verified | 41,000 | Meteorologists & atmospheric scientists (NOAA), Economists & statisticians (BEA, Census) | Details → |
Selective Service System SSS | $127,402 | Verified | 137 | Registration program analysts & specialists, Legal & compliance counsel | Details → |
Department of Labor DOL | $126,491 | Benchmark | 15,400 | Wage & hour investigators (WHD), Occupational safety inspectors (OSHA) | Details → |
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia CSOSA | $126,483 | Verified | 900 | Community supervision officers (probation & parole), Pretrial services officers | Details → |
Office of Administration OA | $126,407 | Verified | 250 | IT and cybersecurity specialists (White House IT), HR and administrative services | Details → |
Judicial Branch Judicial Branch | $125,529 | Verified | 159 | Attorneys and law clerks (Federal Public Defender offices), Court administrators and legal support | Details → |
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC | $125,276 | Verified | 1,900 | EEO investigators & intake specialists, Trial attorneys & appellate counsel | Details → |
AmeriCorps AmeriCorps | $123,771 | Verified | 600 | Program officers & grants managers, Policy analysts & budget specialists | Details → |
Department of Homeland Security DHS | $119,621 | Benchmark | 212,400 | Border patrol & customs, Immigration enforcement | Details → |
Department of Justice DOJ | $117,770 | Benchmark | 116,900 | Correctional officers (BOP), Special agents (FBI, DEA, ATF) | Details → |
Government Publishing Office GPO | $115,990 | Verified | 1,560 | Digital & print production specialists, Information technology & cybersecurity | Details → |
Office of Personnel Management OPM | $114,725 | Benchmark | 2,900 | Human resources specialists & analysts, Benefits & retirement claims processors | Details → |
Department of Veterans Affairs VA | $114,105 | Verified | 460,400 | Nursing & direct patient care, Medical officers & physicians | Details → |
Railroad Retirement Board RRB | $109,355 | Verified | 800 | Claims examiners & benefit analysts, Field representatives & service agents | Details → |
Social Security Administration SSA | $103,248 | Verified | 58,500 | Claims representatives & benefit authorizers, Service representatives (field offices) | Details → |
Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian | $102,790 | Verified | 4,700 | Museum curators & archivists, Scientists & researchers | Details → |
Small Business Administration SBA | $98,544 | Benchmark | 3,500 | Loan officers & small business specialists, Economic development specialists | Details → |
Department of the Interior DOI | $95,799 | Verified | 64,300 | Park rangers & recreation (NPS), Natural resource specialists (BLM) | Details → |
National Archives and Records Administration NARA | $93,758 | Verified | 2,800 | Archivists & records managers, Historians & researchers | Details → |
Department of the Treasury Treasury | $91,277 | Verified | 106,700 | Tax examination & revenue agents (IRS), Financial analysts | Details → |
Department of Agriculture USDA | $89,914 | Verified | 91,200 | Soil conservation & natural resources, Food safety inspectors | Details → |
International Boundary and Water Commission, U.S. Section IBWC | $87,642 | Verified | 244 | Civil and water engineers, Environmental and hydrologic scientists | Details → |
Armed Forces Retirement Home AFRH | $79,219 | Verified | 268 | Nurses and licensed practical nurses, Nursing assistants and medical support staff | Details → |
Department of Defense DoD | Not available | Redacted | 775,900 | Engineering & technical, Logistics & supply chain | Details → |
Benchmark = OPM privacy rules redact >20% of this agency's salary records, so the data isn't representative. Government-wide average ($116,099) is shown instead. Redacted = >99% of records withheld; no usable average can be published.
Averages are April 2026 OPM EHRI data (base + locality pay, annualized). FTE counts are 2024 Actual from OMB Table 5-1.
Averages are April 2026 OPM EHRI data (base + locality pay, annualized). FTE counts are 2024 Actual from OMB Table 5-1.
Showing 73 of 73 occupation series
| Code | Occupation Series | Avg Salary | Data | Sample Size | Typical Grades | Pay Plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0602 | Medical Officer Federal Physician — GS-0602 / Title 38 | $300,715 | Verified | 33,0065.9% redacted | VM-00 (VA); GS-14–GS-15 or SES (others) | Title 38 (VA) / Special Rate (HHS/NIH) | Details → |
| 0680 | Dental Officer Federal Dentist (Dental Officer) — GS-0680 | $228,479 | Verified | 2,1757.7% redacted | GS-13 to GS-15 (GS); Dentist-I to Dentist-V (VA Title 38) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0668 | Podiatrist Federal Podiatrist (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) — GS-0668 | $210,160 | Verified | 8922.1% redacted | GS-13 to GS-15 (GS); Pod-I to Pod-IV (VA Title 38) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0935 | Administrative Law Judge Federal Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) — GS-0935 | $208,631 | Verified | 1,186 | AL-1 to AL-3 (not on GS schedule) | Administrative Law Judge Pay System (AL) | Details → |
| 1160 | Financial Analysis Federal Financial Analyst — GS-1160 | $171,656 | Verified | 98810.0% redacted | GS-11 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0603 | Physician Assistant Federal Physician Assistant — GS-0603 | $169,039 | Verified | 3,37612.7% redacted | GS-12 to GS-14 (GS scale); VP-II to VP-III (VA Title 38) | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 0570 | Financial Institution Examining Federal Bank Examiner — GS-0570 | $168,760 | Verified | 4,6343.4% redacted | GS-9 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) / FR pay scale (Federal Reserve) | Details → |
| 0660 | Pharmacist Federal Clinical Pharmacist — GS-0660 | $166,921 | Verified | 13,4557.8% redacted | VM-2 to VM-4 (VA Title 38); GS-13–GS-14 (others) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1529 | Mathematical Statistics Federal Mathematical Statistician — GS-1529 | $156,720 | Verified | 1,34910.4% redacted | GS-12 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1224 | Patent Examining Federal Patent Examiner — GS-1224 | $156,498 | Verified | 8,8644.9% redacted | GS-7 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0110 | Economist Federal Economist — GS-0110 | $154,229 | Verified | 3,29113.8% redacted | GS-9 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0662 | Optometrist Federal Optometrist — GS-0662 | $154,124 | Verified | 1,4597.3% redacted | GS-13 to GS-14 (GS); OD-I to OD-IV (VA Title 38) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 2152 | Air Traffic Control Federal Air Traffic Controller — GS-2152 | $152,688 | Verified | 19,5758.5% redacted | FV-D to FV-G (FAA pay band); GS-12 to GS-14 equivalent | General Schedule (GS) / FV-FG pay band (FAA) | Details → |
| 0858 | Bioengineering And Biomedical Engineering Federal Biomedical Engineer — GS-0858 | $144,530 | Verified | 1,05411.6% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0107 | Health Insurance Administration Federal Health Insurance Administrator — GS-0107 | $144,044 | Verified | 2,4599.9% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1825 | Aviation Safety Federal Aviation Safety Inspector — GS-1825 | $143,502 | Verified | 4,1561.1% redacted | GS-13 to GS-15 (equivalent to FV-G to FV-J in FAA bands) | General Schedule (GS) / FG pay band (FAA) | Details → |
| 0180 | Psychology Federal Psychologist — GS-0180 | $143,394 | Verified | 8,96613.6% redacted | GS-13 to GS-15 (GS scale); VP-II to VP-III (VA Title 38) | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 0403 | Microbiology Federal Microbiologist — GS-0403 | $140,859 | Verified | 1,67718.0% redacted | GS-9 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0685 | Public Health Program Specialist Federal Public Health Program Specialist — GS-0685 | $138,032 | Verified | 3,2185.7% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1530 | Statistics Federal Statistician — GS-1530 | $137,988 | Verified | 3,0097.7% redacted | GS-9 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0696 | Consumer Safety Federal Consumer Safety Officer — GS-0696 | $137,582 | Verified | 3,4321.1% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0610 | Nurse Federal Registered Nurse — GS-0610 | $131,998 | Verified | 96,9598.6% redacted | GS-9 to GS-12 (GS scale); VN series (VA Title 38) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0701 | Veterinary Medical Science Federal Veterinarian (Veterinary Medical Science) — GS-0701 | $130,821 | Verified | 1,5194.1% redacted | GS-11 to GS-15 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0601 | General Health Science Federal Health Scientist — GS-0601 | $129,707 | Verified | 15,25512.7% redacted | GS-11 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1109 | Grants Management Federal Grants Management Specialist — GS-1109 | $127,155 | Verified | 3,0276.3% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1001 | General Arts And Information Federal Arts and Information Specialist — GS-1001 | $125,680 | Verified | 2,86316.3% redacted | GS-7 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0633 | Physical Therapist Federal Physical Therapist — GS-0633 | $124,579 | Verified | 3,75112.6% redacted | GS-9 to GS-13 (GS); PT-I to PT-III (VA Title 38) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1340 | Meteorology Federal Meteorologist — GS-1340 | $123,070 | Verified | 2,50010.9% redacted | GS-7 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 2101 | Transportation Specialist Federal Transportation Specialist — GS-2101 | $122,087 | Verified | 6,99615.4% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0006 | Correctional Institution Administration Federal Correctional Officer/Administrator — GS-0006 | $121,677 | Verified | 1,6325.3% redacted | GS-7 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0408 | Ecology Federal Ecologist — GS-0408 | $121,175 | Verified | 1,0017.8% redacted | GS-7 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1176 | Building Management Federal Building Manager — GS-1176 | $120,823 | Verified | 98813.8% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1849 | Wage And Hour Investigation Federal Wage and Hour Investigator — GS-1849 | $119,668 | Verified | 8961.3% redacted | GS-7 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0631 | Occupational Therapist Federal Occupational Therapist — GS-0631 | $119,189 | Verified | 2,1639.5% redacted | GS-9 to GS-13 (GS); OT-I to OT-III (VA Title 38) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0644 | Medical Technologist Federal Medical Technologist — GS-0644 | $117,595 | Verified | 5,25014.1% redacted | GS-9 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 0482 | Fish Biology Federal Fish Biologist — GS-0482 | $116,151 | Verified | 1,6304.7% redacted | GS-5 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0665 | Speech Pathology And Audiology Federal Speech-Language Pathologist — GS-0665 | $115,215 | Verified | 2,4737.8% redacted | GS-9 to GS-13 (GS); SLP-I to SLP-IV (VA Title 38) | Title 38 (VA) / General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1315 | Hydrology Federal Hydrologist — GS-1315 | $114,699 | Verified | 1,5244.0% redacted | GS-7 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0185 | Social Work Federal Social Worker — GS-0185 | $110,406 | Verified | 20,9448.0% redacted | GS-9 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 0105 | Social Insurance Administration Federal Social Insurance Specialist — GS-0105 | $105,588 | Verified | 24,3470.4% redacted | GS-9 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0060 | Chaplain Federal Chaplain — GS-0060 | $103,683 | Verified | 1,22711.2% redacted | GS-9 to GS-14 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0647 | Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist Federal Radiologic Technologist — GS-0647 | $101,905 | Verified | 5,28611.3% redacted | GS-8 to GS-11 | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 0630 | Dietitian And Nutritionist Federal Dietitian — GS-0630 | $99,930 | Verified | 3,2816.4% redacted | GS-7 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0089 | Emergency Management Specialist Federal Emergency Management Specialist — GS-0089 | $98,917 | Verified | 10,01818.8% redacted | GS-9 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0486 | Wildlife Biology Federal Wildlife Biologist — GS-0486 | $95,061 | Verified | 1,8546.6% redacted | GS-5 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0638 | Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist Federal Recreation or Creative Arts Therapist — GS-0638 | $94,755 | Verified | 1,0672.8% redacted | GS-7 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1165 | Loan Specialist Federal Loan Specialist — GS-1165 | $94,460 | Verified | 3,9421.1% redacted | GS-7 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0967 | Passport And Visa Examining Federal Passport or Visa Examiner — GS-0967 | $92,754 | Verified | 2,0411.1% redacted | GS-5 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0996 | Veterans Claims Examining Federal Veterans Service Representative — GS-0996 | $91,914 | Verified | 18,2160.3% redacted | GS-7 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0457 | Soil Conservation Federal Soil Conservationist — GS-0457 | $89,053 | Verified | 4,1070.1% redacted | GS-5 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0460 | Forestry Federal Forester — GS-0460 | $88,557 | Verified | 1,6346.2% redacted | GS-5 to GS-13 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0025 | Park Ranger Federal Park Ranger — GS-0025 | $85,561 | Verified | 3,7728.1% redacted | GS-5 to GS-11 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0901 | General Legal and Kindred Administration Federal Legal Administrative Specialist — GS-0901 | $82,308 | Verified | 7,71312.1% redacted | GS-7 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0649 | Medical Instrument Technician Federal Medical Instrument Technician — GS-0649 | $81,046 | Verified | 3,81811.3% redacted | GS-6 to GS-10 | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 1316 | Hydrologic Technician Federal Hydrologic Technician — GS-1316 | $76,031 | Verified | 1,3494.6% redacted | GS-4 to GS-9 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0620 | Practical Nurse Federal Licensed Practical Nurse — GS-0620 | $75,834 | Verified | 14,46413.5% redacted | GS-5 to GS-8 | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 1862 | Consumer Safety Inspection Federal Consumer Safety Inspector — GS-1862 | $73,986 | Verified | 5,2230.4% redacted | GS-5 to GS-10 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 7404 | Cooking Federal Cook — WG-7404 | $71,778 | Verified | 3,35013.4% redacted | WG-5 to WG-10 | Wage Grade (WG) | Details → |
| 0661 | Pharmacy Technician Federal Pharmacy Technician — GS-0661 | $70,587 | Verified | 6,33317.3% redacted | GS-4 to GS-8 | General Schedule (GS) / Title 38 (VA) | Details → |
| 0456 | Wildland Fire Management Federal Wildland Firefighter — GS-0456 | $70,512 | Verified | 4,7640.4% redacted | GS-3 to GS-11 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1980 | Agricultural Commodity Grading Federal Agricultural Commodity Grader — GS-1980 | $69,393 | Verified | 1,5680.2% redacted | GS-5 to GS-12 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0622 | Medical Supply Aide And Technician Federal Medical Supply Aide — GS-0622 | $69,043 | Verified | 3,3016.3% redacted | GS-3 to GS-7 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0102 | Social Science Aid And Technician Federal Social Science Technician — GS-0102 | $68,749 | Verified | 1,4521.4% redacted | GS-4 to GS-8 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 1421 | Archives Technician Federal Archives Technician — GS-1421 | $68,342 | Verified | 1,2801.1% redacted | GS-4 to GS-8 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0998 | Claims Assistance And Examining Federal Claims Examiner — GS-0998 | $67,130 | Verified | 9499.9% redacted | GS-4 to GS-9 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0462 | Forestry Technician Federal Forestry Technician — GS-0462 | $66,996 | Verified | 10,3480.6% redacted | GS-3 to GS-9 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0962 | Contact Representative Federal Contact Representative — GS-0962 | $64,226 | Verified | 29,0722.2% redacted | GS-5 to GS-9 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0404 | Biological Science Technician Federal Biological Science Technician — GS-0404 | $59,005 | Verified | 4,1923.8% redacted | GS-4 to GS-9 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0679 | Medical Support Assistance Federal Medical Support Assistant — GS-0679 | $58,203 | Verified | 36,8287.8% redacted | GS-3 to GS-8 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0592 | Tax Examining Federal Tax Examiner — GS-0592 | $56,300 | Verified | 10,8220.1% redacted | GS-5 to GS-9 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 0621 | Nursing Assistant Federal Certified Nursing Assistant — GS-0621 | $55,810 | Verified | 14,0533.1% redacted | GS-3 to GS-6 | General Schedule (GS) | Details → |
| 7408 | Food Service Working Federal Food Service Worker — WG-7408 | $48,925 | Verified | 5,2388.1% redacted | WG-3 to WG-6 | Wage Grade (WG) | Details → |
| 3566 | Custodial Working Federal Custodial Worker — WG-3566 | $47,014 | Verified | 11,7982.7% redacted | WG-3 to WG-6 | Wage Grade (WG) | Details → |
Benchmark = redaction > 20%; government-wide average ($116,099) shown. Suppressed = redaction > 20% or sample < 50 — no usable figure published.
Averages are April 2026 OPM EHRI data. Sample size = non-redacted employee records included in the average.
Averages are April 2026 OPM EHRI data. Sample size = non-redacted employee records included in the average.
Enter your GS grade, step, and locality to see your exact pay and how it compares to agency and occupation averages. This computes your GS grade/step/locality salary — it does not look up your personal payroll record (FedTools does not have individual employee data).
Your GS-12 Step 5 salary in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA
$116,071/ year
Approximately in the 40th percentile compared to available agency and occupation averages in this dataset.
vs. Government-Wide Average
$116,099
Govt-wide average (April 2026)
Your salary is computed from the 2026 GS pay table (effective January 11, 2026). Agency and occupation averages are from OPM EHRI April 2026 (base + locality pay, annualized). Comparison is your computed grade/step/locality pay vs. aggregate averages — this is not a lookup of your personal payroll record.
How federal agency salary averages are calculated
The agency averages come from OPM's EHRI Federal Employment Raw Data — a quarterly dataset that includes every civilian federal employee record not withheld under OPM's data release policy. The specific field is annualized_adjusted_basic_pay, which captures base pay plus locality pay (annualized to a 52-week equivalent). Benefits, bonuses, and overtime are not included.
Records marked as REDACTED are excluded from the average before computing. When an agency's redaction rate exceeds 20%, the remaining non-redacted records are not statistically representative of the full workforce — so FedTools shows the government-wide benchmark instead, clearly labeled. This is especially common at agencies with large security or law enforcement workforces (DHS, DOJ, CIA), where the redacted population has systematically different pay from the non-redacted portion.
Why the highest-paid agencies aren't always who you'd expect
Space agencies, regulatory bodies, and specialized scientific organizations tend to rank high in average salary because their workforces are concentrated in high-grade technical roles (GS-13 to GS-15) in high-cost-of-living areas. The VA and DoD, despite being the largest employers, have much broader grade distributions — many GS-3 to GS-8 administrative and support positions pull the average down even if senior clinical and management roles pay well above $150,000.
The occupation averages show a similar dynamic: medical officers (Series 0602) average over $300,000 because VA physicians are paid under Title 38 special pay rates, not the GS cap. Trade and craft workers (WG pay plan) often average below $60,000. Grade mix within an agency or series is the dominant factor — locality pay adds 17%–46% on top of base, depending on location.
GS pay vs. agency averages: what the comparison tells you
The “Compare Your Salary” tab computes your exact 2026 GS pay and benchmarks it against the available agency and occupation averages. Because agency averages reflect the full mix of grades (from GS-3 to GS-15) and localities within that agency, they are a directional benchmark rather than a precise comparator for your specific role.
For example: if your GS-12 Step 5 in DC ($116,071) is above the VA average ($114,105), that does not mean you earn more than a GS-12 VA employee — the VA average is pulled down by its large base of GS-3 to GS-9 healthcare support roles. The comparison is most useful for understanding where your grade/step sits relative to the overall distribution within that agency's workforce.
For a deeper look at how agency and occupation benchmarks can inform salary decisions and negotiations, see our guide: How to Benchmark Your Federal Salary Against Agency and Occupation Averages (2026).