PublicPay

Contracting federal salary series 1102

Full-time federal employees in the Contracting series earned a median of $129,809 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 18% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $106,755 and $157,444.

Median pay
$129,809
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$106,755–$157,444
25th–75th percentile
Employees
37,196
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+3%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Contracting
All federal (full-time)

What shapes contracting pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (8,804 employees, median $106,666). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (2,506 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($163,104) and lowest in South Dakota ($98,459), 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 69% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Contracting pay by grade

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

Contracting pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-7 671 $57,736 $55,602–$59,465
GS-9 1,084 $70,230 $65,838–$74,753
GS-11 4,063 $85,447 $79,658–$90,976
GS-12 8,804 $106,666 $99,692–$115,069
GS-13 7,660 $130,884 $121,785–$138,855
GS-14 3,586 $160,218 $149,273–$172,700
GS-15 1,127 $196,598 $180,565–$197,200
ES (ungraded) 101 $218,367 $211,726–$228,000
GL-9 82 $76,633 $71,853–$82,646
IC-14 39 $154,970 $148,898–$158,932
NQ-3 75 $142,461 $125,688–$158,116
NQ-4 35 $194,415 $188,118–$201,538
ZA-4 58 $171,774 $157,945–$187,093

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

Contracting pay by agency

Contracting pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 2,506 $113,549 $95,462–$135,024
General Services Administration 1,692 $129,013 $109,243–$150,744
Department of Homeland Security 1,419 $139,569 $114,893–$167,902
Department of Health and Human Services 917 $138,024 $116,289–$163,104
Department of the Interior 790 $119,064 $101,443–$138,456
Department of Justice 628 $115,044 $89,618–$146,143
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 619 $133,744 $110,107–$164,729
Department of Energy 568 $139,744 $117,081–$167,541
Department of Agriculture 522 $118,637 $99,818–$134,843
Department of Transportation 409 $145,418 $119,677–$177,497
Department of Commerce 356 $147,522 $119,631–$172,134
Department of the Treasury 345 $139,721 $117,081–$170,060
Environmental Protection Agency 221 $127,438 $106,049–$148,869
Department of State 220 $158,306 $133,964–$172,700
Department of Education 96 $146,700 $125,845–$177,497

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

Contracting pay by state

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

Contracting pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
District of Columbia 1,755 $163,104 $133,964–$187,093
Maryland 1,293 $148,711 $125,845–$172,700
Virginia 1,044 $140,145 $112,657–$167,902
Texas 837 $123,258 $105,303–$143,265
California 518 $128,222 $109,141–$150,802
Florida 490 $117,081 $98,504–$137,774
Georgia 426 $123,812 $104,120–$146,310
Pennsylvania 388 $125,104 $105,206–$147,835
Ohio 378 $117,762 $96,576–$134,769
Colorado 370 $129,742 $109,780–$154,264

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

Compare contracting pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +3.0% from $126,023 in September 2025 to $129,809 in September 2026. Headcount went from 40,784 to 37,196 (−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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