PublicPay

Secretary federal salary series 0318

Full-time federal employees in the Secretary series earned a median of $65,148 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 41% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $57,188 and $73,134.

Median pay
$65,148
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$57,188–$73,134
25th–75th percentile
Employees
5,186
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+0.9%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Secretary
All federal (full-time)

What shapes secretary pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-6 (1,064 employees, median $56,004). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Justice (981 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($83,119) and lowest in New Mexico ($53,541), 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 45% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Secretary pay by grade

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

Secretary pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-5 541 $51,599 $46,627–$53,531
GS-6 1,064 $56,004 $51,463–$59,671
GS-7 882 $63,418 $57,389–$68,558
GS-8 666 $68,919 $63,332–$75,840
GS-9 507 $77,878 $71,989–$86,281
GS-10 161 $93,321 $85,546–$98,772
GL-5 40 $54,773 $50,241–$62,462
GL-6 483 $62,529 $56,898–$66,599
GL-7 110 $67,281 $62,235–$72,328
GL-8 98 $76,369 $70,782–$78,848

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

Secretary pay by agency

Secretary pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Justice 981 $65,998 $58,421–$72,042
Department of Veterans Affairs 858 $59,626 $54,116–$67,057
Department of the Treasury 309 $69,954 $62,162–$80,145
Department of the Interior 202 $64,013 $57,680–$73,176
Department of Health and Human Services 163 $59,031 $52,957–$74,201
Department of Homeland Security 97 $66,831 $58,980–$73,824
Department of Agriculture 92 $68,040 $61,469–$75,774
Nuclear Regulatory Commission 75 $77,687 $68,202–$87,105
Environmental Protection Agency 31 $77,306 $70,294–$79,011

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

Secretary pay by state

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

Secretary pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Texas 200 $63,332 $55,291–$69,371
California 188 $73,012 $64,710–$82,007
District of Columbia 182 $83,119 $75,059–$91,815
Florida 168 $60,545 $54,809–$66,599
Maryland 154 $75,059 $67,543–$83,119
Pennsylvania 152 $64,958 $56,004–$71,590
Arizona 113 $59,031 $52,957–$65,595
Georgia 93 $64,034 $55,570–$71,356
Illinois 91 $62,280 $58,326–$68,716
New York 88 $73,341 $65,599–$79,023

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

Compare secretary pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +0.9% from $64,553 in September 2025 to $65,148 in September 2026. Headcount went from 6,865 to 5,186 (−24.5%). 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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