Federal salaries do not always match private– sector pay, but many positions offer competitive compensation, strong benefits and clear pathways for advancement. In addition to salary, you gain the opportunity to serve the public and contribute to work that has national and global impact.  

Most federal employees are paid according to government-regulated pay systems. More than 70% of civilian federal employees are paid under the General Schedule, or GS, pay scale. Positions above GS-15 are part of the Senior Executive Service,whose members lead major agencies and serve just below presidential appointees. 

The General Schedule

The General Schedule is the primary pay system for most federal civil employees, especially in professional, technical, administrative or clerical positions. The system has 15 grades, from GS-1 to GS-15, and there are 10 steps within each grade. 

Your grade reflects your level of responsibility and experience. Your step reflects time in service and performance within that grade. 

Grade Levels

  • GS-3 or GS-4: Often internships, student jobs or entry-level administrative roles 
  • GS-5 to GS-7: Common entry-level grades for college graduates 
  • GS-8 to GS-12: Midlevel technical and first-line supervisory positions 
  • GS-13 to GS-15: Senior technical experts, managers, high-level policy staff and supervisory positions 

Some positions are labeled as “career ladder” roles. That means you may be eligible for noncompetitive promotions to higher grades once you meet performance and time-in-grade requirements. For example, a GS-5/7/9 career ladder position could allow a recent graduate to progress from a GS-5 to a GS-7 to a GS-9 over several years. 

You can find the position’s grade and promotion potential in the job announcement on USAJOBS, usually listed under “Promotion Potential.” 

Pay and Cost of Living Allowance
Salaries under the GS system have two parts: base pay (set nationally) and locality pay (adjusted based on geographic labor markets).  So, if you’re a GS-7 biologist in San Francisco, California, you’ll earn more than a GS-7 biologist in Atlanta, Georgia, because locality pay reflects regional labor market differences.

Locality pay percentages vary by region and can significantly increase total salary in higher-cost metropolitan areas.  

Special Rates
n some high-demand fields, the federal government offers “special salary rates” that are higher than standard GS base pay. These are typically used to recruit and retain talent in areas such as cybersecurity, engineering, science and medicine.

Alternative Pay Schedules

More than 40 agencies or subagencies pay schedules other than the GS schedule. 

  • The Federal Wage System ensures that wages align with those of similar private-sector jobs, applying primarily to trade, craft and labor positions that are paid hourly.  
  • Foreign service officers work for the departments of State, Commerce or Agriculture. They are federal employees who live in another country for a few years at a time before moving on to another assignment elsewhere. They represent the government’s interests overseas and are paid under the foreign service pay plan, which has nine pay grades—from FS-09, the lowest level, to FS-01, the highest level. Each grade has 14 steps. 
  • Senior Executive Service pay is performance-based and adjusted annually. Salary ranges vary by certification level and are published each year by the Office of Personnel Management. Basic pay ranges from $151,000 to $228,000, and locality pay is not available. 

Some agencies have their own pay plans, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Other agencies use “bands”—or salary ranges—instead of pay grades. Rather than 15 grades, those agencies have a smaller number of pay bands with broader salary ranges.