PublicPay

Medical Officer federal salary series 0602

Full-time federal employees in the Medical Officer series earned a median of $300,000 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 174% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $269,326 and $347,984.

Median pay
$300,000
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$269,326–$347,984
25th–75th percentile
Employees
34,818
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2.7%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Medical Officer
All federal (full-time)

What shapes medical officer pay

The most common grade with published pay is GP-15 (1,781 employees, median $295,000). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (28,745 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in Mississippi ($332,466) and lowest in Maryland ($250,000), 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.

Medical Officer pay by grade

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

Medical Officer pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-15 162 $197,200 $197,200–$197,200
AD (ungraded) 269 $96,202 $85,519–$108,228
GP-13 140 $204,342 $182,350–$233,286
GP-14 1,054 $237,245 $215,521–$263,582
GP-15 1,781 $295,000 $265,451–$325,000
RF (ungraded) 425 $264,747 $232,544–$316,200
RG (ungraded) 340 $141,356 $108,731–$175,781

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

Medical Officer pay by agency

Medical Officer pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 28,745 $305,076 $275,388–$354,146
Department of Health and Human Services 3,925 $251,516 $209,100–$289,257
Department of Justice 188 $315,000 $295,000–$325,000
Department of Transportation 73 $228,000 $228,000–$228,000
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 37 $197,200 $197,200–$197,200

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

Medical Officer pay by state

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

Medical Officer pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 3,289 $319,727 $290,044–$370,674
Maryland 2,881 $250,000 $205,089–$291,464
Florida 2,704 $305,374 $274,417–$347,882
Texas 2,050 $293,005 $267,200–$349,244
New York 1,268 $289,662 $256,347–$328,661
Pennsylvania 1,162 $299,178 $265,114–$345,281
North Carolina 1,143 $302,000 $274,716–$350,482
Illinois 1,051 $305,205 $279,144–$345,621
Ohio 1,035 $306,902 $275,792–$364,076
Tennessee 946 $297,702 $267,410–$356,997

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

Compare medical officer pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.7% from $292,126 in September 2025 to $300,000 in September 2026. Headcount went from 36,342 to 34,818 (−4.2%). 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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