PublicPay

Wage and Hour Investigation Series federal salary series 1849

Full-time federal employees in the Wage and Hour Investigation Series series earned a median of $118,357 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 8% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $104,590 and $136,105.

Median pay
$118,357
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$104,590–$136,105
25th–75th percentile
Employees
870
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1.7%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Wage and Hour Investigation Series
All federal (full-time)

What shapes wage and hour investigation series pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (490 employees, median $110,395). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Labor (870 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($128,699) and lowest in Florida ($116,362), 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.

Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay by grade

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

Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 47 $84,638 $79,596–$91,488
GS-12 490 $110,395 $102,154–$119,356
GS-13 226 $138,370 $127,725–$146,337
GS-14 68 $163,514 $151,555–$177,816

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

Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay by agency

Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Labor 870 $118,357 $104,590–$136,105

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

Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay by state

The 6 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 106 $128,699 $115,028–$148,904
Texas 93 $116,770 $106,666–$140,403
New York 53 $126,579 $112,513–$137,273
Florida 42 $116,362 $98,504–$133,935
Pennsylvania 37 $119,546 $111,781–$132,923
Illinois 34 $123,409 $107,182–$140,800

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

Compare wage and hour investigation series pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.7% from $116,409 in September 2025 to $118,357 in September 2026. Headcount went from 959 to 870 (−9.3%). 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.

Related occupations in Investigation Group