PublicPay

Engineering Technical federal salary series 0802

Full-time federal employees in the Engineering Technical series earned a median of $89,618 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 18% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $77,030 and $106,376.

Median pay
$89,618
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$77,030–$106,376
25th–75th percentile
Employees
14,668
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+2.2%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Engineering Technical
All federal (full-time)

What shapes engineering technical pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (4,173 employees, median $113,378). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Agriculture (695 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($119,485) and lowest in Arkansas ($73,041), 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 79% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Engineering Technical pay by grade

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

Engineering Technical pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-6 56 $56,308 $49,950–$59,031
GS-7 184 $60,264 $56,868–$65,599
GS-8 128 $63,737 $59,434–$68,919
GS-9 1,201 $74,070 $67,896–$80,243
GS-10 477 $79,885 $77,030–$84,966
GS-11 3,545 $90,520 $84,638–$97,087
GS-12 4,173 $113,378 $104,427–$122,899
GS-13 638 $141,833 $133,778–$154,263
ZT-4 53 $118,092 $108,745–$129,159

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

Engineering Technical pay by agency

Engineering Technical pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Agriculture 695 $77,030 $69,954–$83,736
Department of Transportation 559 $100,022 $87,204–$112,900
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 469 $98,459 $80,250–$117,227
Department of the Interior 380 $84,638 $70,781–$97,087
Department of Veterans Affairs 214 $84,638 $78,691–$92,232
Department of Health and Human Services 177 $77,771 $65,599–$96,843
Department of Commerce 132 $104,427 $92,988–$126,869
Department of Justice 109 $97,087 $87,348–$109,762
Department of Homeland Security 89 $100,119 $86,989–$112,789
Smithsonian Institution 66 $112,657 $103,158–$129,728
General Services Administration 58 $119,485 $109,243–$133,142

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

Engineering Technical pay by state

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

Engineering Technical pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Florida 245 $90,173 $79,885–$101,457
California 244 $108,921 $92,107–$130,547
Oklahoma 202 $90,723 $76,128–$103,839
Maryland 195 $116,071 $97,154–$133,142
District of Columbia 134 $119,485 $109,243–$133,142
Texas 126 $83,486 $76,884–$103,563
Washington 116 $92,219 $81,007–$106,088
Virginia 114 $98,531 $80,842–$115,064
New Mexico 114 $73,751 $61,722–$94,322
Mississippi 100 $79,658 $74,678–$82,148

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

Compare engineering technical pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +2.2% from $87,668 in September 2025 to $89,618 in September 2026. Headcount went from 15,971 to 14,668 (−8.2%). 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.

Related occupations in Engineering and Architecture Group