PublicPay

Psychology federal salary series 0180

Full-time federal employees in the Psychology series earned a median of $152,387 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 39% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $129,073 and $170,742.

Median pay
$152,387
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$129,073–$170,742
25th–75th percentile
Employees
10,430
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2.9%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Psychology
All federal (full-time)

What shapes psychology pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-13 (5,913 employees, median $152,811). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (8,158 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($175,265) and lowest in Maine ($136,025), 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 12% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Psychology pay by grade

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

Psychology pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 203 $90,378 $85,383–$97,198
GS-12 631 $111,364 $103,047–$117,409
GS-13 5,913 $152,811 $140,147–$166,242
GS-14 1,593 $177,286 $164,551–$189,107
GS-15 334 $206,547 $195,481–$224,572
AD (ungraded) 1,140 $39,748 $35,840–$58,766

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

Psychology pay by agency

Psychology pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 8,158 $152,755 $131,082–$171,278
Department of Justice 545 $136,495 $113,530–$150,935
Department of Health and Human Services 152 $151,392 $133,964–$178,725
Department of Transportation 97 $163,514 $128,585–$190,953
Department of Homeland Security 79 $163,104 $138,024–$172,700
Office of Personnel Management 31 $150,324 $129,904–$176,730

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

Psychology pay by state

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

Psychology pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 1,019 $175,265 $150,026–$197,200
Florida 779 $152,850 $134,306–$168,453
Texas 631 $157,998 $135,859–$177,762
North Carolina 377 $154,484 $133,143–$171,691
Massachusetts 357 $144,508 $105,018–$166,229
Pennsylvania 347 $144,466 $131,068–$158,358
New York 336 $142,156 $114,499–$168,285
Ohio 301 $144,835 $127,353–$161,876
Illinois 287 $150,431 $132,732–$168,130
Virginia 282 $158,232 $137,266–$170,860

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

Compare psychology pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.9% from $148,048 in September 2025 to $152,387 in September 2026. Headcount went from 10,718 to 10,430 (−2.7%). 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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