The government does not often come to mind when considering an employer paying large salaries. ෴Government jobs are known for offering many benefits, such as stability and reasonable working hours, but earning a large salary, such as those offered by Goldman S✨achs and Microsoft, is not always guaranteed. However, some government jobs can be quite lucrative for professionals with college degrees and desirable professional skills.

Attorneys

Attorneys at posh New York law firms often make north of $215,000 in the infancy of their careers. However, these firms are notorious for demanding 80-hour workweeks, compromising a healthy work/lﷺife balance. For aspiring attorneys willing to accept modest pay, federal, state, and local governments hire tens of thousands of attorneys each year. 

In addition, these government entities pay well above the national average and demand fewer workable hours, contributing to a more stable work/life balance. According to BLS, the average federal government attorney salary in 2023 was $166,030. However, pay can be much higher, as evidenced in a federal job posting for an Attorney Advisor, with a stated pay range of $180,564 – $252,500 per year.

Astronomers or Physicists

Astronomers and physicists are some of the highest-paid groups of government employees. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for a government astronomer was $164,280 in 2023. Physicists averaged $135,300. A few jobs, such as technician or research assistant, require at least a bachelor's degree, but physics and astronomy jobs demand a Ph.D.

Architectural and Engineering Managers

Architectural and engineering managers oversee projects, supervise employees, and prepare budgets. Federal architectural and engineering managers typically need a bachelor's and master's degree in the field they work in or an amount of experience and a degree that's equivalent.

These federal managers averaged $148,820 in 2023.

Judges and Hearing Officers

Federal judges preside in courts of appeal, district courts, and the Supreme Court (Article III positions). There are also magistrate judges and bankruptcy judges (Article I positions). Hearing officers conduct hearings in🧸 administrative or legal matters, adjudicate disputes between parties, and issue decisions.

Federal judges and hearing officers averaged $134,280 in 2023. Becoming a federal judge is a rigorous endeavor that generally has no formal qualifications. Article I judges must be lawyers, but there are no formal qualifications for Article III judges. However, the BLS states that a Juris Doctor degree is usually required to be a local, state, or federal judge, and judges are usually appointed or elected after years of experience practicing law.

Financial Managers

Financial management is another career in which a substantial amount of money can be earned in the private sector, but often at the expense of not having much personal time. The government provides an alternative for financial professionals who want more balance in life. While unlikely to match the salaries offered by 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:investment banks and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:hedge funds, the gover🧜nment still pays six figures to top talent and provides attractive retirement plans and generous vacation allotments. 

Moreover, the highest concentration of government financial management jobs is in New York, making the move from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Wall Street relatively uncomplicated. As of 2023, the average federal 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:financial manager salary is $129,850. The projected growth rate is expected to be 17% across all industries between 2023 and 2033.

Engineers

Rounding out some government careers with minimum six-figure salaries are engineers. The Department of Energy and Department of the Interior employ the most. Computer hardware engineers are among the highest paid, with an average salary of $128,020 in 2023.

The overall growth rate for engineers across all industries was 9%, and 7% for computer hardware engineers. It can be reasonably expected that the growth rate within the government industry will be the same. The minimum academic requirement is a bachelor's degree in engineering; this field is known for high starting salaries right out of college for government workers.

The Bottom Line

The federal government may not be the best-paying employer, but it is the largest employer in the U.S. It also pays certain careers very well, so if you're looking for a decent-paying job and find the barriers of entry at Fortune 500 companies too high, government employment can provide a good living.