PublicPay

Writing and Editing federal salary series 1082

Full-time federal employees in the Writing and Editing series earned a median of $138,024 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 26% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $115,244 and $158,306.

Median pay
$138,024
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$115,244–$158,306
25th–75th percentile
Employees
786
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+4.1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Writing and Editing
All federal (full-time)

What shapes writing and editing pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-13 (256 employees, median $138,816). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Homeland Security (105 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($146,143) and lowest in Virginia ($133,964), 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).

Writing and Editing pay by grade

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

Writing and Editing pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 88 $92,060 $85,447–$99,692
GS-12 163 $112,657 $102,415–$119,485
GS-13 256 $138,816 $129,904–$150,203
GS-14 136 $167,902 $157,787–$177,497

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

Writing and Editing pay by agency

Writing and Editing pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Homeland Security 105 $146,143 $129,728–$163,104
Department of Health and Human Services 65 $146,143 $125,796–$158,310
Department of Justice 60 $150,203 $125,845–$163,104
Department of Agriculture 45 $109,244 $98,459–$125,855
Department of Transportation 37 $146,143 $115,686–$163,934
Department of Veterans Affairs 35 $129,904 $99,494–$145,660
Department of Commerce 34 $132,624 $113,510–$152,820

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

Writing and Editing pay by state

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

Writing and Editing pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
District of Columbia 254 $146,143 $125,845–$162,068
Maryland 77 $146,143 $131,741–$158,322
Virginia 43 $133,964 $119,485–$160,894

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

Compare writing and editing pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +4.1% from $132,638 in September 2025 to $138,024 in September 2026. Headcount went from 999 to 786 (−21.3%). 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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