2026 Executive Schedule Level 3 Pay

$209,600 2026 annual salary

$17,466.67 Monthly equivalent

$100.43 Hourly equivalent

2026 Level 3 salary: $209,600. Compared with GS-15 Step 10, that is higher by $45,299.

2026 Executive Schedule Level 3 pay

Measure	Amount
Annual salary	$209,600
Monthly equivalent	$17,466.67
Hourly equivalent	$100.43
GS-15 Step 10 comparison	+$45,299

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

What Executive Schedule Level 3 means

Level 3 covers a large share of senior appointed leadership positions across cabinet departments and major agencies.

These roles often include under secretaries, senior commissioners, and other high-level management officials.

Common examples at this level include Under secretaries, Solicitor General, agency chief operating officials. 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 3

FedPayscale tracks 106 positions commonly listed under Executive Schedule Level 3 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.

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Under Secretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development

Under Secretary of Commerce

Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs

Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration

Under Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism

Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence

Deputy Chief Management Officer

Under Secretary of the Air Force Under Secretary of the Army Under Secretary of the Navy Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness Under Secretary of Education

Under Secretaries of Energy

Deputy Trade Representatives, Office of the United States Trade Representative

Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative

Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy

Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget

Administrator, Office of Electronic Government

Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget

Deputy Director for Demand Reduction, Office of National Drug Control Policy Deputy Director for Supply Reduction, Office of National Drug Control Policy Deputy Director for State and Local Affairs, Office of National Drug Control Policy Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Under Secretaries of Homeland Security

Director, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection

Deputy Administrators, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Deputy Directors of Central Intelligence

United States Solicitor General

Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice

Associate Attorney General

Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice

Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Under Secretaries of State

Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator, United States Maritime Administration Administrator, Federal Transit Administration Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration

Under Secretaries of the Treasury

Comptroller of the Currency Commissioner of Internal Revenue Director, Office of Thrift Supervision Deputy Administrator, Agency for International Development

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health, Department of Veterans Affairs

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs

Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs

Administrator, General Services Administration Administrator, Small Business Administration Director, Peace Corps Deputy Director, National Science Foundation

President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States

Director, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service President, Overseas Private Investment Corporation Deputy Director, Office of Personnel Management

Director, Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation

Executive Director, Property Review Board

Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency Archivist of the United States Executive Director, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board Director, Trade and Development Agency Director, Office of Government Ethics Register of Copyrights

Director Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

Chief Executive Officer, International Clean Energy Foundation.

Chairman, Merit Systems Protection Board Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

Chairman, Board of Directors, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Director of the Office of Emergency Planning

Executive Secretary, National Space Council

Level 3 pay history

FedPayscale tracks Executive Schedule Level 3 from 2014 through 2026. Since 2014, this level has changed by $42,600 or 25.51%.

Year	Salary
2026	$209,600
2025	$207,500
2024	$204,000
2023	$195,000
2022	$187,300
2021	$183,300
2020	$181,500
2019	$176,900
2018	$174,500
2017	$172,100
2016	$170,400
2015	$168,700
2014	$167,000

How Level 3 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 3 helps show where this level sits above the regular GS structure.