PublicPay

Design Patent Examining federal salary series 1226

Full-time federal employees in the Design Patent Examining series earned a median of $131,841 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 20% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $107,813 and $176,572.

Median pay
$131,841
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$107,813–$176,572
25th–75th percentile
Employees
359
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+23.5%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Design Patent Examining
All federal (full-time)

What shapes design patent examining pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-14 (112 employees, median $176,572). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Commerce (359 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.

Design Patent Examining pay by grade

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

Design Patent Examining pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 58 $93,779 $93,779–$93,779
GS-12 57 $107,813 $107,813–$111,407
GS-13 75 $131,841 $131,841–$136,236
GS-14 112 $176,572 $171,378–$192,154

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

Design Patent Examining pay by agency

Design Patent Examining pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Commerce 359 $131,841 $107,813–$176,572

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

Design Patent Examining pay by state

The 2 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Design Patent Examining pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Virginia 106 $148,214 $111,407–$188,764
Maryland 49 $136,236 $111,407–$177,870

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

Change since September 2025

The median moved +23.5% from $106,745 in September 2025 to $131,841 in September 2026. Headcount went from 382 to 359 (−6.0%). 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.

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