Average Federal Government Worker Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Federal Government Worker salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Federal Government Worker Make in United States?

A Federal Government Worker working in United States will typically earn around 87,700 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 40,700 USD to the highest average salary of 134,700 USD.

Average Annual Salary
87,700 USD
Average Monthly Salary
7,308 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
40,700 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,391 USD

Highest Annual Salary
134,700 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
11,225 USD

These are average salaries for a Federal Government Worker in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Federal Government Worker to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Federal Government Worker salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Federal Government Worker Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Federal Government Worker will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Federal Government Worker can earn between 40,700 USD and 134,700 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Federal Government Worker in United States is 91,000 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 91,000 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 91,000 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Federal Government Worker salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 60,500 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 60,500 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 115,600 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 115,600 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Federal Government Worker Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average federal government worker salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Federal Government Worker in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 47,200 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Federal Government Worker salary would increase to 68,100 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Federal Government Worker, the average salary would be 88,500 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 111,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Federal Government Worker with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 117,100 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Federal Government Worker with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 130,500 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
47,200 USD
2-5 Years +42%
68,100 USD
5-10 Years +31%
88,500 USD
10-15 Years +23%
111,700 USD
15-20 Years +6%
117,100 USD
20+ Years +10%
130,500 USD

Federal Government Worker Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Federal Government Worker in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Federal Government Worker in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 60,200 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Federal Government Worker in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 68,200 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Federal Government Worker in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 100,700 USD.

  • Master's Degree. A Federal Government Worker in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 123,800 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
60,200 USD
Certificate or Diploma +16%
68,200 USD
Bachelor's Degree +46%
100,700 USD
Master's Degree +23%
123,800 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Federal Government Worker Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male federal government worker will earn an average of 86,800 USD, while a female federal government worker will earn around 83,800 USD.

This means that a male federal government worker earns approximately 4% more than a female federal government worker for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
86,800 USD
Female -4%
83,800 USD

Federal Government Worker Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Federal Government Worker in United States is around 12% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that a Federal Government Worker in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Federal Government Worker Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Federal Government Worker is a low bonus based job, with 33% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

67% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
33%
No Bonus
67%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Federal Government Worker

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Federal Government Worker in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Armed Forces Officer Government and Defence 76,600 USD
Army Officer Government and Defence 77,300 USD
Cartographer Government and Defence 68,900 USD
Customs Officer Government and Defence 60,600 USD
Defense Officer Government and Defence 111,700 USD
Electoral Project Coordinator Government and Defence 124,500 USD
Government Affairs Advisor Government and Defence 146,900 USD
Government Affairs Director Government and Defence 168,700 USD
Government Affairs Representative Government and Defence 158,700 USD
Government Officer Government and Defence 137,100 USD
Government Property Inspector Government and Defence 134,100 USD
Government Relations Associate Government and Defence 141,000 USD
International Cooperation Specialist Government and Defence 153,700 USD
Military Personnel Government and Defence 116,400 USD
Police Constable Government and Defence 78,500 USD
Public Affairs Specialist Government and Defence 114,600 USD
Public Information Officer Government and Defence 71,700 USD
Rifleman Government and Defence 58,600 USD
Soldier Government and Defence 72,400 USD
VAT Fraud Investigator Government and Defence 93,300 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 83,000 USD
Austin 101,100 USD
Baltimore 86,600 USD
Boston 89,800 USD
Bristol 71,400 USD
Chicago 100,900 USD
Cincinnati 74,100 USD
Cleveland 78,700 USD
Dallas 95,900 USD
Denver 91,900 USD
Detroit 90,900 USD
Honolulu 70,700 USD
Houston 102,700 USD
Indianapolis 93,300 USD
Iowa City 71,000 USD
Jacksonville 91,700 USD
Kansas City 87,000 USD
Kent 70,000 USD
Las Vegas 89,900 USD
Long Beach 78,700 USD
Los Angeles 107,300 USD
Memphis 90,300 USD
Miami 81,300 USD
Minneapolis 73,300 USD
New Orleans 79,600 USD
New York 107,700 USD
Oakland 80,500 USD
Oklahoma City 87,900 USD
Orlando 69,700 USD
Philadelphia 99,100 USD
Phoenix 94,000 USD
Sacramento 86,600 USD
San Antonio 96,000 USD
San Diego 93,600 USD
San Francisco 89,900 USD
San Jose 95,600 USD
Seattle 90,600 USD
Tampa 72,300 USD
Vancouver 72,700 USD
Washington D.C. 92,600 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 92,900 USD
Alaska 75,400 USD
Arizona 93,900 USD
Arkansas 81,400 USD
California 97,400 USD
Colorado 92,100 USD
Connecticut 83,100 USD
Delaware 83,700 USD
District of Columbia 74,200 USD
Florida 98,000 USD
Georgia 93,100 USD
Hawaii 79,600 USD
Idaho 85,400 USD
Illinois 96,000 USD
Indiana 93,100 USD
Iowa 84,200 USD
Kansas 87,400 USD
Kentucky 85,500 USD
Louisiana 88,600 USD
Maine 83,800 USD
Maryland 91,700 USD
Massachusetts 95,300 USD
Michigan 92,100 USD
Minnesota 91,900 USD
Mississippi 81,000 USD
Missouri 90,900 USD
Montana 83,200 USD
Nebraska 82,300 USD
Nevada 87,700 USD
New Hampshire 77,100 USD
New Jersey 95,000 USD
New Mexico 80,700 USD
New York 97,100 USD
North Carolina 88,300 USD
North Dakota 76,800 USD
Ohio 98,000 USD
Oklahoma 83,100 USD
Oregon 88,000 USD
Pennsylvania 91,600 USD
Rhode Island 81,200 USD
South Carolina 81,900 USD
South Dakota 77,300 USD
Tennessee 95,500 USD
Texas 95,500 USD
Utah 83,700 USD
Vermont 75,000 USD
Virginia 94,900 USD
Washington 89,300 USD
West Virginia 81,600 USD
Wisconsin 95,100 USD
Wyoming 73,700 USD

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