PublicPay

Civilian Pay federal salary series 0544

Full-time federal employees in the Civilian Pay series earned a median of $52,957 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 52% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $49,601 and $58,670.

Median pay
$52,957
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$49,601–$58,670
25th–75th percentile
Employees
730
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+0.7%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Civilian Pay
All federal (full-time)

What shapes civilian pay pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-5 (270 employees, median $51,271). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (269 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in Colorado ($58,138) and lowest in Texas ($50,241), 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 49% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Civilian Pay pay by grade

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

Civilian Pay pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-5 270 $51,271 $47,525–$53,744
GS-6 122 $57,080 $52,028–$60,553
GS-7 159 $60,013 $58,138–$62,235
GL-5 32 $61,166 $52,957–$64,111

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

Civilian Pay pay by agency

Civilian Pay pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 269 $51,599 $47,525–$55,554
Department of the Interior 49 $58,138 $56,262–$62,443
Department of Justice 33 $60,593 $52,957–$64,111

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

Civilian Pay pay by state

The 3 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Civilian Pay pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Colorado 55 $58,138 $56,262–$63,277
Florida 38 $50,241 $46,588–$52,957
Texas 31 $50,241 $44,809–$54,513

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

Compare civilian pay pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +0.7% from $52,598 in September 2025 to $52,957 in September 2026. Headcount went from 1,078 to 730 (−32.3%). 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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