Highest-Paying Government Jobs
Answer
Family Medicine Physicians ($295,610), Psychiatrists ($249,080), Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates ($176,500) top this list. Government employment comes from the BLS ownership estimates, which split each occupation's jobs among federal, state and local government and private employers. For each occupation the table shows the median for the level of government with the most of its jobs, so a job may pay differently at another level.
How this ranking works
Includes: Occupations with at least 5,000 jobs in federal, state and local government combined (OEWS ownership estimates). Ranked by: Median annual wage of government employees in the occupation (federal, state or local, whichever employs the most). Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Occupations without a published median and the residual “all other” categories are left out. Methodology
| 1 | Family Medicine Physicians | Local (5,180 gov. jobs) | $295,610 | 107,510 | Doctoral or professional degree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Psychiatrists | State (6,190 gov. jobs) | $249,080 | 27,980 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 3 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | State (24,030 gov. jobs) | $176,500 | 24,030 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 4 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | Federal (17,580 gov. jobs) | $166,230 | 220,260 | Bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Chief Executives | Local (35,440 gov. jobs) | $164,620 | 204,350 | Bachelor's degree |
| 6 | Purchasing Managers | Federal (12,320 gov. jobs) | $161,470 | 84,320 | Bachelor's degree |
| 7 | Pharmacists | Local (27,560 gov. jobs) | $156,870 | 321,970 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 8 | Air Traffic Controllers | Federal (20,720 gov. jobs) | $156,250 | 22,510 | Associate's degree |
| 9 | Financial Examiners | Federal (11,990 gov. jobs) | $151,360 | 67,830 | Bachelor's degree |
| 10 | Physicists | Federal (5,340 gov. jobs) | $146,900 | 20,430 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 11 | Economists | Federal (8,870 gov. jobs) | $144,680 | 17,790 | Master's degree |
| 12 | Aerospace Engineers | Federal (10,110 gov. jobs) | $142,630 | 67,710 | Bachelor's degree |
| 13 | Natural Sciences Managers | Federal (23,430 gov. jobs) | $141,460 | 108,690 | Bachelor's degree |
| 14 | Chemists | Federal (11,460 gov. jobs) | $137,740 | 82,770 | Bachelor's degree |
| 15 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | Federal (14,380 gov. jobs) | $135,890 | 96,900 | Bachelor's degree |
| 16 | Physician Assistants | Local (12,940 gov. jobs) | $134,990 | 162,150 | Master's degree |
| 17 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | Local (53,960 gov. jobs) | $134,790 | 670,570 | Bachelor's degree |
| 18 | Nurse Practitioners | Local (22,920 gov. jobs) | $134,190 | 323,040 | Master's degree |
| 19 | Human Resources Managers | Local (29,000 gov. jobs) | $133,180 | 220,660 | Bachelor's degree |
| 20 | Statisticians | Federal (9,620 gov. jobs) | $132,620 | 29,030 | Master's degree |
| 21 | Transportation Inspectors | Federal (11,230 gov. jobs) | $131,730 | 24,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| 22 | Lawyers | Local (163,440 gov. jobs) | $131,590 | 754,500 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 23 | General and Operations Managers | Local (164,160 gov. jobs) | $131,410 | 3,503,020 | Bachelor's degree |
| 24 | Financial Managers | Local (72,600 gov. jobs) | $130,020 | 841,710 | Bachelor's degree |
| 25 | Public Relations Managers | Local (11,360 gov. jobs) | $128,610 | 74,850 | Bachelor's degree |
| 26 | Medical and Health Services Managers | Local (81,860 gov. jobs) | $127,720 | 597,080 | Bachelor's degree |
| 27 | Electrical Engineers | Federal (10,880 gov. jobs) | $127,650 | 198,750 | Bachelor's degree |
| 28 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | Federal (13,340 gov. jobs) | $124,870 | 37,200 | Master's degree |
| 29 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | State (6,960 gov. jobs) | $124,290 | 11,560 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 30 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | State (10,970 gov. jobs) | $122,750 | 20,060 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 31 | Marketing Managers | Local (6,920 gov. jobs) | $122,200 | 395,240 | Bachelor's degree |
| 32 | Construction Managers | Local (15,990 gov. jobs) | $121,390 | 380,360 | Bachelor's degree |
| 33 | Mechanical Engineers | Federal (16,490 gov. jobs) | $120,350 | 296,810 | Bachelor's degree |
| 34 | Administrative Services Managers | Local (29,930 gov. jobs) | $116,090 | 263,960 | Bachelor's degree |
| 35 | Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | State (28,130 gov. jobs) | $111,580 | 40,270 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 36 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | Local (21,170 gov. jobs) | $110,950 | 221,180 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| 37 | Buyers and Purchasing Agents | Federal (149,600 gov. jobs) | $108,160 | 491,430 | Bachelor's degree |
| 38 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | Local (266,030 gov. jobs) | $107,990 | 328,330 | Master's degree |
| 39 | Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | State (123,550 gov. jobs) | $107,090 | 221,270 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| 40 | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | State (10,030 gov. jobs) | $106,440 | 75,990 | Doctoral or professional degree |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, national cross-industry estimates; projections and typical entry education from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Occupation names are the official BLS titles; linked names have a full pay and how-to-become page on this site.