Nurse federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Nurse series is across government, what the average pay looks like, and which agencies employ the biggest share of people in this occupation.
March 2025 workforce snapshot. The Nurse occupation series had 109,716 employees with an average salary of $128,375.
109,716 employees in this occupation series
$128,375 average pay
"Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group" occupation family
Veterans Health Administration largest agency for this occupation
What this page helps you check
Use this page when you want to see where a federal occupation is concentrated, which agencies employ the most people in it, and what the average pay looks like across government.
Occupation family
Nurse is reported under the "Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group" family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Nurse staff
These are the agencies with the biggest reported headcount in this occupation series.
| Agency | Department | Employees | Total salary expense | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Health Administration | Department of Veterans Affairs | 93,816 | $12,212,819,179 | $130,178 | 85.5% |
| Military Treatment Facilities Under DHA | Department of Defense | 8,895 | $1,079,431,296 | $121,353 | 8.1% |
| Indian Health Service | Department of Health and Human Services | 2,040 | $243,918,202 | $119,568 | 1.9% |
| Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System | Department of Justice | 1,183 | $117,340,159 | $99,189 | 1.1% |
| National Institutes of Health | Department of Health and Human Services | 1,091 | $142,126,197 | $130,271 | 1.0% |
| Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response | Department of Health and Human Services | 1,018 | $83,036,244 | $81,568 | 0.9% |
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services | Department of Health and Human Services | 197 | $25,677,224 | $130,341 | 0.2% |
| Defense Health Agency | Department of Defense | 185 | $24,841,508 | $134,278 | 0.2% |
| U.s. Army Medical Command | Department of Defense | 129 | $15,827,871 | $122,697 | 0.1% |
| Army National Guard Units | Department of Defense | 77 | $7,873,099 | $102,248 | 0.1% |
| Immigration and Customs Enforcement | Department of Homeland Security | 60 | $7,082,494 | $118,042 | 0.1% |
| Inspector General | Department of Veterans Affairs | 57 | $8,054,364 | $141,305 | 0.1% |
| Department of Defense Education Activity | Department of Defense | 57 | $5,156,933 | $90,473 | 0.1% |
| Forest Service | Department of Agriculture | 55 | $4,990,375 | $90,734 | 0.1% |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | Department of Justice | 53 | $6,064,207 | $114,419 | 0.0% |
| Department of State | Department of State | 47 | $6,507,409 | $138,456 | 0.0% |
| Health Resources and Services Administration | Department of Health and Human Services | 41 | $6,171,011 | $150,512 | 0.0% |
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Department of Health and Human Services | 38 | $4,642,668 | $122,175 | 0.0% |
| U. S. Military Entrance Processing Command | Department of Defense | 34 | $4,477,120 | $131,680 | 0.0% |
| Peace Corps | Independent or mixed | 33 | $4,241,248 | $128,523 | 0.0% |
| Customs and Border Protection | Department of Homeland Security | 33 | $3,916,322 | $118,676 | 0.0% |
| United States Army Installation Management Command | Department of Defense | 28 | $2,748,872 | $98,174 | 0.0% |
| U.s. Army Corps of Engineers | Department of Defense | 27 | $2,615,538 | $96,872 | 0.0% |
| Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences | Department of Defense | 18 | $3,368,592 | $187,144 | 0.0% |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home | Independent or mixed | 16 | $1,756,144 | $109,759 | 0.0% |
Common pay plans for Nurse
This shows the pay plans most commonly attached to this occupation series in the latest OPM summary.
| Pay plan | Employees | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|
| VN | 87,980 | $130,719 | 80.2% |
| GS | 14,364 | $118,924 | 13.1% |
| AD | 5,897 | $121,692 | 5.4% |
| GL | 806 | $95,292 | 0.7% |
| NH | 96 | $103,192 | 0.1% |
| DB | 61 | $113,151 | 0.1% |
| FP | 33 | $128,523 | 0.0% |
| SR | 14 | $217,529 | 0.0% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).