PublicPay

Chaplain federal salary series 0060

Full-time federal employees in the Chaplain series earned a median of $107,411 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 2% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $90,611 and $119,546.

Median pay
$107,411
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$90,611–$119,546
25th–75th percentile
Employees
1,246
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Chaplain
All federal (full-time)

What shapes chaplain pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (727 employees, median $109,806). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (851 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in New York ($119,546) and lowest in Tennessee ($97,773), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 10% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Chaplain pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Chaplain pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 257 $84,232 $79,658–$89,618
GS-12 727 $109,806 $101,443–$118,221
GS-13 154 $131,097 $120,629–$138,816
AD (ungraded) 72 $39,783 $38,797–$42,059

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Chaplain pay by agency

Chaplain pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 851 $103,795 $86,082–$116,362
Department of Justice 253 $116,362 $105,967–$126,744

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Chaplain pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Chaplain pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Texas 101 $107,038 $96,624–$121,943
California 88 $116,362 $103,522–$131,362
Florida 80 $101,682 $96,130–$110,395
Pennsylvania 62 $109,585 $84,638–$120,309
New York 50 $119,546 $102,818–$135,370
North Carolina 48 $107,083 $78,034–$116,787
Georgia 41 $104,427 $94,654–$116,362
Tennessee 40 $97,773 $76,546–$114,124
Virginia 35 $105,967 $81,989–$113,710
Ohio 34 $104,331 $87,542–$112,136

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare chaplain pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.0% from $106,349 in September 2025 to $107,411 in September 2026. Headcount went from 1,218 to 1,246 (+2.3%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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