Custodial Working federal salary series 3566
Full-time federal employees in the Custodial Working series earned a median of $44,829 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 59% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $41,990 and $49,399.
What shapes custodial working pay
The most common grade with published pay is WG-2 (9,627 employees, median $44,265). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (10,840 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in Michigan ($53,845) and lowest in North Carolina ($41,427), 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.
Custodial Working pay by grade
Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.
| Pay plan–grade | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| CE-1 | 41 | $52,947 |
| WG-2 | 9,627 | $44,265 |
| WG-3 | 162 | $47,333 |
| WG-4 | 169 | $47,959 |
| WL-2 | 773 | $48,064 |
| WS-1 | 109 | $68,590 |
| WS-2 | 918 | $66,659 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Custodial Working pay by agency
| Agency | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | 10,840 | $44,537 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | 455 | $48,022 |
| Department of the Interior | 365 | $49,786 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Custodial Working pay by state
The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.
| State | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| California | 968 | $49,316 |
| Florida | 905 | $42,784 |
| Texas | 833 | $41,949 |
| New York | 596 | $49,399 |
| Pennsylvania | 538 | $46,164 |
| Arizona | 434 | $46,603 |
| Ohio | 402 | $45,246 |
| Illinois | 399 | $44,724 |
| Michigan | 374 | $53,845 |
| Missouri | 365 | $42,804 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Compare custodial working pay across all states and agencies →
Change since September 2025
The median moved +3.0% from $43,514 in September 2025 to $44,829 in September 2026. Headcount went from 12,468 to 12,013 (−3.6%). 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.