2026 Executive Schedule Level 2 Pay

$228,000 2026 annual salary

$19,000.00 Monthly equivalent

$109.25 Hourly equivalent

2026 Level 2 salary: $228,000. Compared with GS-15 Step 10, that is higher by $63,699.

2026 Executive Schedule Level 2 pay

Measure	Amount
Annual salary	$228,000
Monthly equivalent	$19,000.00
Hourly equivalent	$109.25
GS-15 Step 10 comparison	+$63,699

Back to SES tables Use the SES calculator Compare with GS-15

What Executive Schedule Level 2 means

Level 2 is used for senior appointed leaders just below the very top of the Executive Schedule.

This level commonly appears for deputy secretaries and similar department-wide leadership roles.

Common examples at this level include Deputy secretaries, Deputy OMB Director, agency deputy heads. These examples are only orientation points. The actual office titles tied to Executive Schedule levels are set by statute and agency structure, not by this page.

Positions commonly listed at Executive Schedule Level 2

FedPayscale tracks 48 positions commonly listed under Executive Schedule Level 2 in published federal pay references. Some titles are current, some are historical, and some move over time as statutes and agency structures change.

Use this as a reference list, not a live staffing roster. If a title has a usable source page, it links out. Otherwise it is shown as plain text only.

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Deputy Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Army Secretary of the Navy Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Deputy Secretary of Education Deputy Secretary of Energy Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget Chief Performance Officer of the United Statesand Deputy OMB Director for Management Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

Director of the Office of White House Mail and Messenger Operations

Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Director of the National Counterproliferation Center Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Secretary of the Interior Deputy Attorney General Deputy Secretary of Labor Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Deputy Secretary of State Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Deputy Secretary of Transportation

Under Secretary of Transportation for Security

Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy

Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Administrator of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Director of the National Science Foundation

Independent Members and chairman of the Thrift Depositor Protection Oversight Board

Members of the Board of governors of the Federal Reserve System Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection

Level 2 pay history

FedPayscale tracks Executive Schedule Level 2 from 2014 through 2026. Since 2014, this level has changed by $46,500 or 25.62%.

Year	Salary
2026	$228,000
2025	$225,700
2024	$221,900
2023	$212,100
2022	$203,700
2021	$199,300
2020	$197,300
2019	$192,300
2018	$189,600
2017	$187,000
2016	$185,100
2015	$183,300
2014	$181,500

How Level 2 fits with SES and GS pay

Compared with SES

Executive Schedule levels are fixed statutory salaries. SES pay works differently. Agencies set individual SES salaries inside the annual SES range, subject to the caps shown on the 2026 SES pay page.

Compared with GS

The highest regular GS salary starts at GS-15 Step 10 and can be capped in high-locality areas. Level 4 is the main GS pay cap reference, while Level 2 helps show where this level sits above the regular GS structure.