Federal government jobs are diverse and the salaries vary widely. Which federal jobs have the highest average salary? How do other professions compare with those that have the highest average salary?
Here are several examples. The data are provided FedsDataCenter.com, which is a database of individual federal employee salaries. For guidance on how to use this database, check out How to Find Federal Employees’ Salaries by Name.
All data are from the fiscal year 2021 and are provided by federal agencies. The database is provided and maintained by FedsDataCenter.com.
Federal Government Jobs With Highest Average Salary
Which federal government jobs have the highest average salary? Here is a listing of these professions showing the “top ten” with the highest and lowest average salaries in each profession.
| Profession | Average Salary In $ |
| MEDICAL OFFICER | 253,314.64 |
| SECURITIES COMPLIANCE EXAMINING | 204,100.69 |
| DENTAL OFFICER | 191,277.51 |
| ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE | 180,517.02 |
| ANESTHESIA | 173,884.09 |
| PATENT ATTORNEY | 173,269.86 |
| PATENT ADMINISTRATION | 171,135.6 |
| TECHNICAL SYSTEMS PROGRAM MANAGER | 165,359.39 |
| CHIEF ENGINEER | 162,032.06 |
| PODIATRIST | 160,114.04 |
One Highest-Paid Federal Government Job: Administrative Law Judges
The federal pay system has grown much more complex over time. The highest salaries may vary considerably from the average and many of these higher average salaries are different than the General Schedule salaries. Note, for example, the number of professions listed above in the medical field.
From the FedsDataCenter.com database, here are the highest salaries listed in the database for a couple of these professions: Administrative Law Judge.
| Name | Grade | Pay Plan | Salary | Agency |
| CARLOS, TIERNEY MICHAEL | 3 | AL | $183,300.00 | DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE |
| SULLIVAN, J E | 3 | AL | $183,300.00 | DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION |
| NAME WITHHELD BY AGENCY | 3 | AL | $183,300.00 | DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE |
| NAME WITHHELD BY AGENCY | 3 | AL | $183,300.00 | DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE |
| NAME WITHHELD BY AGENCY | 3 | AL | $183,300.00 | DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE |
| WELCH, DAVID L | 2 | AL | $183,300.00 | FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY |
| PEARSON, RICHARD A. | 3 | AL | $183,300.00 | FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY |
| CENTER, CHARLES R | 3 | AL | $183,300.00 | FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY |
| STROTHER, CHANNING DELAPLANE | 2 | AL | $183,300.00 | DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE |
Highest-Paid Federal Government Jobs in Human Resources Management
While these are the professions with the highest average salary, there are some other areas that pay high salaries as well. For example, here are the highest-paid federal employees with the title of “Human Resources Management”.
These are among the highest-paid human resources professionals in the federal government. They do not appear among the top ten professions with the highest average salary as the human resources field consists of people in much lower-paying jobs who are not managers.
Here are the “top 10” highest-paid federal employees of “Human Resources Management” as assigned by their agencies.
| Name | Grade | Pay Plan | Salary | Agency | Location |
| CUFFEE-GRAVES, CASSANDRA LANELL | 8 | NB | $279,615.00 | DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY | WASHINGTON |
| PLITT, BRIDGET LOUISE | 7 | NB | $279,300.00 | DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY | WASHINGTON |
| EVANS, YVETTE H | 0 | CX | $273,400.00 | FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION | WASHINGTON |
| CHARLES, JOY C | 6 | NB | $273,205.00 | DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY | WASHINGTON |
| SMITH, TRINETTE KARENA | 17 | SK | $255,800.00 | SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION | WASHINGTON |
| FISHER, SIAN MARY | 0 | EM | $255,000.00 | FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION | WASHINGTON |
| JONES, RHONDA W | 7 | NB | $253,956.00 | DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY | WASHINGTON |
| MACKLIN, ALICE Y | 15 | CT | $251,980.00 | COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION | WASHINGTON |
| SCHMIDT, SHANNON W | 15 | CT | $251,980.00 | COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION | WASHINGTON |
| GREEN, ADRIANNE BIANCA | 7 | NB | $251,533.00 | DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY | WASHINGTON |
Highest Paid “Chief Engineer” Federal Government Jobs
The position of “Chief Engineer” qualifies as one of the “top ten” highest-paid federal government jobs. While the average salary for this position is $162,032, the individuals who are receiving the highest salaries obviously make more than average.
Here is a listing of the top ten people in the federal government with the position of “Chief Engineer” according to the FedsDataCenter.com database.
| Name | Grade | Pay System | Salary | Agency | Location |
| ANGLEBERGER, JEFFERY J | 1 | WM | $169,249.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | DAVISVILLE |
| BATTLES, SEAN M | 1 | WM | $169,249.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | WOODS HOLE |
| BROWN, JAMES LLOYD | 1 | WM | $171,689.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | SAN DIEGO |
| CLEARY, THOMAS J | 1 | WM | $165,297.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | NORFOLK |
| CURRIE, ALAN G | 10 | WM | $177,331.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | NEWPORT |
| DARGA, LAWRENCE JAMES | 0 | WB | $66,053.55 | DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR | CHEBOYGAN |
| DAVIS, COLIN ERIC | 1 | WM | $169,249.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | WOODS HOLE |
| DELTORTO, JOSEPH A | 1 | WM | $169,249.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | WOODS HOLE |
| DENNIS, ROBERT W | 1 | WM | $171,689.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | SAN DIEGO |
| GIANELLONI, TODD S | 1 | WM | $165,297.00 | DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE | NORFOLK |
Why Are Salaries of Federal Government Jobs Public Information?
The current policy of releasing names and federal pay started in 2005. At that time, the Bush administration started withholding salary information from the public for about 900,000 federal civilian employees. The practice of refusing to release the information was “breaking a tradition of openness that began in 1816” according to a lawsuit filed by a group at Syracuse University under the Freedom of Information Act.
The group argued that “Citizens have a right to know who is working for the government” and the new policy changed that policy.
The federal government began publicly naming its employees, their job category, salary, and workplace in 1816. The first entry in the 1816 version of the Federal Register was James Madison. He was identified as president of the United States at a salary of $25,000 and that his birthplace was in Virginia. The second entry was Secretary of State James Monroe and noted his salary of $5,000.
It wasn’t just political leaders who were listed. According to an article in the Washington Post, Treasury Department messenger John Connell was from Maryland and worked in Washington for the federal government at a salary of $410 a year, and another Marylander, Richard H. Briscoe, worked for the Comptroller’s Office clerk for $1,000 a year.
