PublicPay

Education Program federal salary series 1720

Full-time federal employees in the Education Program series earned a median of $138,370 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 26% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $116,362 and $164,042.

Median pay
$138,370
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$116,362–$164,042
25th–75th percentile
Employees
400
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1.3%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Education Program
All federal (full-time)

What shapes education program pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-13 (128 employees, median $138,024). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Education (167 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 23% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Education Program pay by grade

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

Education Program pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-12 67 $105,880 $99,111–$116,362
GS-13 128 $138,024 $128,098–$143,874
GS-14 89 $172,700 $158,306–$184,610

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

Education Program pay by agency

Education Program pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Education 167 $146,749 $129,904–$177,497
Department of Veterans Affairs 81 $107,071 $89,393–$138,370
Department of the Interior 32 $133,480 $120,629–$141,957

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

Education Program pay by state

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

Education Program pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
District of Columbia 115 $160,713 $142,084–$187,093

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

Compare education program pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.3% from $136,658 in September 2025 to $138,370 in September 2026. Headcount went from 490 to 400 (−18.4%). 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 Education Group