PublicPay

General Attorney federal salary series 0905

Full-time federal employees in the General Attorney series earned a median of $185,941 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 70% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $152,456 and $197,200.

Median pay
$185,941
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$152,456–$197,200
25th–75th percentile
Employees
36,655
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1.6%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
General Attorney
All federal (full-time)

What shapes general attorney pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-15 (10,688 employees, median $197,200). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Justice (10,594 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($197,200) and lowest in Mississippi ($118,855), 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 32% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

General Attorney pay by grade

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

General Attorney pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 350 $85,447 $85,447–$91,145
GS-12 2,004 $112,118 $104,427–$119,485
GS-13 3,059 $128,369 $121,785–$139,214
GS-14 8,534 $158,306 $148,711–$172,700
GS-15 10,688 $197,200 $186,207–$197,200
AA-6 39 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
AD (ungraded) 137 $197,100 $194,526–$208,523
AD-21 155 $112,798 $110,135–$119,450
AD-23 227 $121,274 $113,638–$127,374
AD-29 3,239 $195,536 $169,648–$197,100
AD-33 538 $197,100 $197,100–$197,100
AL-3 125 $209,600 $209,600–$209,600
CG-14 87 $216,326 $186,322–$234,298
CG-15 140 $257,500 $252,709–$257,500
CM (ungraded) 47 $277,500 $277,500–$277,500
CN-71 110 $240,295 $225,606–$255,000
CT-14 99 $258,407 $234,078–$264,489
CT-15 72 $292,300 $282,666–$292,300
ES (ungraded) 771 $220,140 $206,912–$228,000
GG-15 86 $197,200 $188,194–$197,200
IC-14 63 $150,411 $143,231–$164,998
IJ (ungraded) 756 $209,600 $184,891–$209,600
NB-6 91 $243,069 $218,007–$266,992
SK-14 928 $236,784 $200,165–$259,402
SK-15 73 $264,514 $227,179–$280,156
SK-16 350 $280,652 $263,452–$292,300
SK-17 201 $292,300 $292,300–$292,300
SL (ungraded) 232 $209,600 $207,060–$223,059
SO-1 33 $313,711 $282,362–$315,481
SO-2 68 $321,828 $321,828–$321,828

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

General Attorney pay by agency

General Attorney pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Justice 10,594 $197,200 $174,922–$197,200
Department of Homeland Security 4,062 $177,536 $153,366–$197,200
Social Security Administration 2,686 $130,464 $116,586–$151,455
Department of the Treasury 1,844 $182,798 $155,656–$197,200
Securities and Exchange Commission 1,670 $259,402 $221,407–$287,476
Department of Veterans Affairs 1,644 $161,778 $143,913–$178,120
Department of Commerce 1,483 $172,700 $146,742–$191,850
Department of Health and Human Services 880 $178,731 $139,807–$197,200
Environmental Protection Agency 828 $177,870 $151,442–$197,200
Federal Trade Commission 595 $197,200 $187,093–$197,200
Department of Energy 517 $191,850 $162,712–$197,200
National Labor Relations Board 516 $172,700 $138,728–$197,200
Federal Communications Commission 473 $197,200 $191,850–$197,200
Department of Transportation 464 $186,207 $159,980–$197,200
Department of Labor 447 $187,093 $158,322–$197,200

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

General Attorney pay by state

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

General Attorney pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
District of Columbia 11,512 $197,200 $169,279–$197,200
Virginia 1,514 $182,295 $158,306–$197,200
Maryland 1,341 $177,497 $153,509–$197,200
California 1,259 $189,725 $157,236–$197,200
Texas 1,031 $170,136 $138,612–$197,200
New York 977 $192,694 $158,881–$209,600
Illinois 679 $178,103 $149,979–$197,200
Florida 671 $154,002 $124,692–$187,399
Georgia 625 $166,881 $141,876–$192,958
Pennsylvania 575 $166,317 $138,595–$195,629

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

Compare general attorney pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.6% from $183,016 in September 2025 to $185,941 in September 2026. Headcount went from 40,189 to 36,655 (−8.8%). 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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