Federal employee salaries in Illinois
Full-time federal civilian employees with a published duty station in Illinois earned a median of
$108,533 in September 2026, 1% below the all-federal median of $109,641.
That ranks #15 of 51 (50 states and DC) by median pay.
Median pay
$108,533
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$76,128–$142,654
25th–75th percentile
Employees
27,120
with published duty station
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026 Illinois
$57,745 10th $76,128 25th $108,533 Median $142,654 75th $187,439 90th
Time period September 2026 snapshot (as of September 30, 2026; published November 4, 2026)
Population Federal civilian employees whose duty station is published as Illinois
Geography Illinois (official worksite). Employees whose location OPM withheld are not included. Pay definition Annualized adjusted basic pay: base pay plus locality or special-rate supplement, after pay caps. Excludes bonuses, overtime, allowances and benefits. More Coverage
OPM published pay for 27,044 of 27,120 employees (99.7%).
Pay figures use the 25,620 full-time employees with published pay. Coverage details OPM withheld the duty-station location for 943,611 federal employees nationwide, including the entire Department of Defense civilian workforce and large parts of the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice. Those employees are not counted in any state, so state totals understate the federal presence, especially in states with large military installations.
Pay by occupation in Illinois The 30 largest occupations in Illinois with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay (120 qualify in total).
Federal pay by occupation in Illinois Occupation Employees Median pay Middle 50% $0 $100K $200K $300K $400K Nurse Series 0610 2,979 $123,564 $109,847–$135,816 Medical Officer Series 0602 1,051 $305,205 $279,144–$345,621 Social Insurance Administration Series 0105 1,013 $105,749 $91,876–$120,073 Medical Support Assistance Series 0679 963 $56,204 $54,146–$60,914 Air Traffic Control Series 2152 926 $183,518 $121,507–$214,924 Miscellaneous Administration and Program Series 0301 799 $110,066 $89,049–$142,783 Management and Program Analysis Series 0343 720 $126,917 $106,731–$142,783 Social Work Series 0185 688 $109,031 $93,811–$119,253 Information Technology Management Series 2210 679 $143,505 $118,984–$164,041 General Attorney Series 0905 679 $178,103 $149,979–$197,200 Miscellaneous Clerk and Assistant Series 0303 669 $59,200 $53,382–$65,990 Pharmacist Series 0660 523 $178,930 $160,572–$190,680 Human Resources Management Series 0201 469 $123,092 $106,731–$142,783 Health Aid and Technician Series 0640 460 $60,914 $55,871–$65,990 Contact Representative Series 0962 423 $68,716 $63,150–$74,962 Practical Nurse Series 0620 405 $75,718 $71,430–$82,252 Custodial Working Series 3566 399 $44,724 $44,140–$47,604 General Legal and Kindred Administration Series 0901 395 $78,201 $71,299–$86,111 General Business and Industry Series 1101 390 $134,850 $110,066–$168,728 Nursing Assistant Series 0621 375 $55,859 $52,810–$57,691 General Health Science Series 0601 318 $106,731 $94,616–$126,917 Psychology Series 0180 287 $150,431 $132,732–$168,130 Financial Institution Examining Series 0570 274 $168,626 $115,769–$224,336 Social Science Series 0101 269 $94,616 $83,482–$110,066 Contracting Series 1102 267 $126,917 $113,402–$146,165 Transportation Specialist Series 2101 265 $119,650 $108,029–$136,076 Veterans Claims Examining Series 0996 264 $100,059 $81,047–$110,066 General Physical Science Series 1301 249 $130,080 $106,731–$154,682 General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Series 0401 244 $110,066 $97,399–$138,593 Pharmacy Technician Series 0661 235 $68,843 $61,923–$75,904
Pay by agency in Illinois Federal pay by agency in Illinois Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50% $0 $100K $200K $300K Department of Veterans Affairs 14,452 $99,970 $65,990–$130,884 Social Security Administration 2,092 $94,616 $77,044–$116,738 Department of Transportation 1,811 $146,770 $110,214–$193,721 Department of Agriculture 1,219 $89,049 $69,954–$113,402 Department of Justice 910 $94,888 $80,243–$108,533 Environmental Protection Agency 838 $130,080 $106,731–$154,682 Department of Homeland Security 719 $120,073 $100,151–$140,608 Department of the Treasury 653 $126,917 $83,482–$168,728 Department of Commerce 614 $131,273 $100,059–$169,814 Department of Health and Human Services 569 $138,816 $120,073–$159,353 Department of Labor 547 $127,321 $110,066–$150,715 Railroad Retirement Board 422 $110,066 $83,482–$142,783 General Services Administration 351 $134,850 $120,073–$154,682 Department of the Interior 256 $85,990 $66,362–$116,388 Department of Housing and Urban Development 244 $141,694 $126,917–$159,353 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 237 $180,240 $120,220–$253,151 Securities and Exchange Commission 218 $253,437 $212,916–$273,713 Department of Energy 143 $146,749 $130,884–$173,416 Nuclear Regulatory Commission 110 $154,682 $126,917–$181,878 National Archives and Records Administration 105 $54,300 $48,113–$86,396 Department of State 83 $97,399 $86,266–$126,917 Department of Education 81 $142,783 $125,163–$159,353 Commodity Futures Trading Commission 79 $258,407 $255,710–$258,407 Small Business Administration 72 $89,049 $73,600–$134,486 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 67 $128,412 $100,059–$154,682
Change since September 2025 The median moved +2.1% from $106,349 in September 2025 to $108,533 in September 2026. Headcount went from 30,118 to 27,120 (−10.0%). 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.
States with similar median federal pay All states ranked →