Every U.S. government job, structured.
How to get hired, how pay and promotion work, and who employs each role — built from official data, with every figure traced to its source.
Sources: GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.
Browse by level of government
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.
Highest-paid government jobs
| Job | Median pay in government |
|---|---|
| VA Physician | $269,550 |
| Air Traffic Controller (FAA) | $155,040 |
| Government Attorney (agency counsel) | $134,680 |
| IT Specialist (government) | $119,250 |
| Civil Engineer (DOT / city / county) | $108,820 |
| Assistant Principal | $108,210 |
| Environmental Engineer | $107,020 |
| Bank / Financial Examiner | $106,440 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.
All government salaries: by level, by job and official state pay plans →
Browse by job family
Source: GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial).
Browse by state
Each state lists its local governments, public employers and pay for every job.
Numbers are public employers in our directory (fire, transit, school districts, police and sheriff's offices).
Sources: U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA), National Fire Department Registry; Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database 2024 — Reporter Agency Information; National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2024–25 local education agency universe (directory and staff); Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer — law-enforcement agencies by state (API). Data captured September 30, 2026.
Largest government occupations
National employment in federal, state and local government, May 2025.
| Occupation | Job pages | Government workers | Share in government | Median pay in government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education SOC 25-2021 | Elementary School Teacher, Public School Teacher (hub) | 1,223,170 | 88% | $65,310 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary SOC 25-9045 | Paraprofessional / Teacher Aide | 1,103,450 | 78% | $36,990 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education SOC 25-2031 | High School Teacher, Public School Teacher (hub), ESL / ELL Teacher | 910,670 | 85% | $74,220 |
| Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers SOC 33-3051 | Campus / University Police Officer, Federal Police Officer (VA, Pentagon, Capitol…), Police Officer | 663,800 | 99% | $76,300 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education SOC 25-2022 | Middle School Teacher, Public School Teacher (hub) | 548,550 | 88% | $65,300 |
| Registered Nurses SOC 29-1141 | Correctional Nurse, Public Health Nurse, School Nurse | 537,990 | 16% | $100,490 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners SOC 37-2011 | Custodian (schools & public buildings) | 502,420 | 23% | $39,640 |
| Office Clerks, General SOC 43-9061 | Office Clerk / Clerk Typist (government) | 496,390 | 20% | $46,170 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive SOC 43-6014 | Administrative Assistant (government), School Secretary / Office Manager | 455,660 | 27% | $48,290 |
| Substitute Teachers, Short-Term SOC 25-3031 | Substitute Teacher | 382,870 | 73% | $43,690 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.
What every job page covers
Each job is structured across the same 16 dimensions. Coverage grows as we collect and verify data; this is where it stands today.
| Dimension | What it holds | Jobs with sourced data | Structure only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | What the job is; who hires (F/S/L employer types and counts); headcount (OEWS) | 174 of 177 | — |
| Requirements | Age min/max, education, citizenship, driver license/CDL, residency, background disqualifiers, medical/vision/hearing, drug & tattoo policy | 174 of 177 | — |
| Hiring process | Ordered steps + typical timeline: application, written test (named), physical test (named), oral board, background, polygraph, psych, medical, eligibility list | 140 of 177 | — |
| Academy and training | Academy / apprenticeship / paid training: length, paid or not, content, certification earned, washout | 174 of 177 | — |
| Probation | Probation length and what ends it | Not yet collected | — |
| Promotion ladder | L3 ranks/positions, time-in-grade, promotion exams, specialty assignments | Not yet collected | 177 of 177 |
| Pay | Pay archetype; start, top, years to top; differentials; overtime; national/state/metro benchmarks; employer grids | 174 of 177 | — |
| Schedule | Shift patterns (24/48, 4/10, 5/8, split), seniority bidding, holidays, mandatory OT | 154 of 177 | — |
| Benefits and pension | Pension plan/tier and formula, retirement age/years, DROP, retiree health, Social Security coverage, 457(b), PSLF eligibility | Not yet collected | — |
| Union contracts | Bargaining unit, union, current CBA (source link, effective dates) | Not yet collected | — |
| Transfers and lateral entry | Lateral policy, certification reciprocity, lateral bonus, inter-agency moves | Not yet collected | — |
| Day-to-day work | Sourced description; later: insider contributions (the wiki layer) | 156 of 177 | — |
| Related jobs | Ladder-adjacent and lateral moves (e.g. dispatcher → police officer; EMT → firefighter) | Not yet collected | 177 of 177 |
| Exam practice | Named exams → OpenExamPrep practice | 44 of 177 | — |
| Employer directory | L4 directory: every employer that hires this job, each with its own facet values | 49 of 177 | — |
| By state | Job × state: certification/POST standards, state benchmarks, state employers | 174 of 177 | — |
Source: GovJobsWiki job taxonomy v1 (research round R240) (editorial). Counts are computed from the records behind each job page.
Who employs them
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments — Government Organization; U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA), National Fire Department Registry; National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2024–25 local education agency universe (directory and staff); Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database 2024 — Reporter Agency Information; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer — Law Enforcement Employees. Data captured September 29, 2026.