PublicPay

Nurse federal salary series 0610

Full-time federal employees in the Nurse series earned a median of $125,739 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 15% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $109,718 and $149,922.

Median pay
$125,739
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$109,718–$149,922
25th–75th percentile
Employees
106,725
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2.5%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Nurse
All federal (full-time)

What shapes nurse pay

The most common grade with published pay is VN-2 (49,335 employees, median $118,879). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (92,762 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($173,529) and lowest in South Dakota ($104,360), 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.

Nurse pay by grade

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

Nurse pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-7 67 $81,530 $79,746–$87,721
GS-9 528 $101,240 $95,614–$109,678
GS-10 600 $111,770 $104,995–$116,992
GS-11 5,422 $114,413 $105,439–$121,173
GS-12 4,685 $126,374 $119,988–$135,597
GS-13 1,552 $146,143 $134,850–$158,322
GS-14 151 $167,902 $158,306–$182,295
AD (ungraded) 695 $70,560 $62,611–$83,792
AD-1 535 $95,085 $84,191–$130,068
AD-2 3,121 $123,424 $108,925–$134,590
AD-3 934 $154,588 $131,545–$184,413
GL-10 698 $96,334 $90,621–$104,412
VN-1 7,237 $100,150 $91,677–$109,993
VN-2 49,335 $118,879 $108,054–$131,862
VN-3 28,861 $153,501 $133,444–$177,831
VN-4 1,621 $181,498 $164,671–$203,890
VN-5 379 $228,000 $210,800–$228,000

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

Nurse pay by agency

Nurse pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 92,762 $126,022 $110,192–$150,553
Department of Health and Human Services 4,001 $124,449 $111,347–$142,084
Department of Justice 1,205 $100,290 $92,835–$109,342
Department of Homeland Security 131 $133,964 $96,329–$150,203
Department of Agriculture 46 $97,087 $82,770–$105,904

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

Nurse pay by state

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

Nurse pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 8,147 $173,529 $151,308–$214,132
Florida 7,993 $120,366 $108,344–$137,388
Texas 7,410 $132,537 $116,812–$150,430
Ohio 3,956 $122,939 $110,701–$140,538
North Carolina 3,729 $125,884 $113,992–$140,894
Pennsylvania 3,600 $116,136 $101,940–$135,415
New York 3,222 $136,722 $113,879–$157,867
Arizona 3,126 $131,732 $119,185–$152,065
Illinois 2,979 $123,564 $109,847–$135,816
Tennessee 2,927 $120,427 $105,862–$141,398

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

Compare nurse pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.5% from $122,620 in September 2025 to $125,739 in September 2026. Headcount went from 107,046 to 106,725 (−0.3%). 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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