Patent Attorney federal salary series 1222

Full-time federal employees in the Patent Attorney series earned a median of $209,600 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 91% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $197,200 and $209,600.

What shapes patent attorney pay

The most common grade with published pay is AD (ungraded) (162 employees, median $209,600). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Commerce (230 employees). 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 25% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Patent Attorney pay by grade

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

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

Patent Attorney pay by agency

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

Patent Attorney pay by state

The 1 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

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

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.0% from $207,500 in September 2025 to $209,600 in September 2026. Headcount went from 449 to 350 (−22.0%). 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 Copyright, Patent, and Trademark Group

• Patent Examining (1224)$176,572
• Design Patent Examining (1226)$131,841
• Patent Administration (1220)$197,200
• Patent Classifying (1223)$192,154