Gardening federal salary series 5003
Full-time federal employees in the Gardening series earned a median of $65,094 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 41% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $56,245 and $73,964.
What shapes gardening pay
The most common grade with published pay is WG-6 (164 employees, median $57,330). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (227 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 18% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).
Gardening 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 |
|---|---|---|
| WG-6 | 164 | $57,330 |
| WG-8 | 156 | $69,414 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Gardening pay by agency
| Agency | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Veterans Affairs | 227 | $64,154 |
| Department of the Interior | 116 | $64,405 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Gardening pay by state
The 2 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.
| State | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| California | 36 | $80,162 |
| District of Columbia | 35 | $74,391 |
middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)
Change since September 2025
The median moved +1.4% from $64,164 in September 2025 to $65,094 in September 2026. Headcount went from 488 to 478 (−2.0%). 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.