Public Affairs federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Public Affairs 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 Public Affairs occupation series had 7,623 employees with an average salary of $120,238.
7,623 employees in this occupation series
$120,238 average pay
Information and Arts 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
Public Affairs is reported under the Information and Arts Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Public Affairs 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 | 370 | $38,289,836 | $103,486 | 4.9% |
| Forest Service | Department of Agriculture | 369 | $36,980,327 | $100,218 | 4.8% |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | Department of Homeland Security | 317 | $34,724,649 | $109,541 | 4.2% |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Independent or mixed | 275 | $36,196,788 | $131,625 | 3.6% |
| Internal Revenue Service | Department of the Treasury | 246 | $32,747,295 | $133,119 | 3.2% |
| U.s. Army Corps of Engineers | Department of Defense | 236 | $25,025,371 | $106,040 | 3.1% |
| Department of State | Department of State | 218 | $31,373,962 | $143,917 | 2.9% |
| United States Army Installation Management Command | Department of Defense | 212 | $20,546,406 | $96,917 | 2.8% |
| Army National Guard Units | Department of Defense | 196 | $17,034,056 | $86,908 | 2.6% |
| Small Business Administration | Independent or mixed | 178 | $15,940,178 | $89,552 | 2.3% |
| Social Security Administration | Independent or mixed | 138 | $18,754,386 | $135,901 | 1.8% |
| Air National Guard Units | Department of Defense | 126 | $10,722,311 | $85,098 | 1.7% |
| Bureau of Land Management | Department of the Interior | 109 | $12,770,986 | $117,165 | 1.4% |
| Air Force Materiel Command | Department of Defense | 109 | $12,671,646 | $116,254 | 1.4% |
| "Commander, Navy Installations" | Department of Defense | 107 | $10,481,493 | $97,958 | 1.4% |
| National Institutes of Health | Department of Health and Human Services | 97 | $15,691,087 | $161,764 | 1.3% |
| U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service | Department of the Interior | 96 | $11,538,190 | $120,189 | 1.3% |
| U.s. Army Recruiting Command and U.s. Army Cadet Command | Department of Defense | 88 | $7,161,402 | $81,380 | 1.2% |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | Department of Justice | 85 | $10,909,796 | $128,351 | 1.1% |
| "Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command" | Department of Defense | 76 | $7,018,916 | $92,354 | 1.0% |
| Natural Resources Conservation Service | Department of Agriculture | 75 | $6,965,007 | $92,867 | 1.0% |
| National Park Service | Department of the Interior | 64 | $7,719,071 | $120,610 | 0.8% |
| Military Treatment Facilities Under DHA | Department of Defense | 60 | $5,450,390 | $90,840 | 0.8% |
| Department of Energy | Department of Energy | 59 | $8,563,536 | $145,145 | 0.8% |
| Executive Office for U.s. Attorneys and the Offices of the U.s. Attorneys | Department of Justice | 57 | $6,487,609 | $113,818 | 0.7% |
Common pay plans for Public Affairs
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS | 4,413 | $114,050 | 57.9% |
| IC | 145 | $108,656 | 1.9% |
| IT | 71 | $117,282 | 0.9% |
| IM | 63 | $82,726 | 0.8% |
| ZA | 47 | $153,566 | 0.6% |
| NT | 46 | $125,690 | 0.6% |
| NH | 46 | $132,942 | 0.6% |
| IR | 25 | $176,466 | 0.3% |
| DE | 24 | $133,522 | 0.3% |
| SV | 20 | $165,559 | 0.3% |
| DO | 19 | $117,445 | 0.2% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).