Executive Schedule Level 4 Pay
Executive Schedule Level 4 is one of the five statutory executive pay tiers published by OPM. This page shows the current salary, the pay history for this level across the archive, and where Level 4 sits in the broader senior federal pay structure.
$197,200 2026 annual salary
$16,433.33 Monthly equivalent
$94.49 Hourly equivalent
2026 Level 4 salary: $197,200.
Compared with GS-15 Step 10, that is higher by $32,899.
2026 Executive Schedule Level 4 pay
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual salary | $197,200 |
| Monthly equivalent | $16,433.33 |
| Hourly equivalent | $94.49 |
| GS-15 Step 10 comparison | +$32,899 |
What Executive Schedule Level 4 means
Level 4 matters across the wider federal pay system because it is the main cap for top GS locality-adjusted pay.
It also covers many assistant secretary and major component leadership roles.
Common examples at this level include Assistant secretaries, many agency component heads, the cap for top GS pay. 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 4
FedPayscale tracks 200 positions commonly listed under Executive Schedule Level 4 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.
Assistant Secretaries of Agriculture
General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture
Inspector General, Department of Agriculture Chief Financial Officer, Department of Agriculture Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture
Chief Information Officer, Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretaries of Commerce
General Counsel of the Department of Commerce
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, the incumbent of which also serves as Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce
Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service
Inspector General, Department of Commerce Director, Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce
Chief Financial Officer, Department of Commerce Chief Information Officer, Department of Commerce Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Assistant Secretaries of Defense Assistant Secretaries of the Air Force Assistant Secretaries of the Army Assistant Secretaries of the Navy Director of Civil Defense, Department of the Army
General Counsel of the Department of Defense Inspector General, Department of Defense Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, Department of Defense
Director of Defense Research and Engineering Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
General Counsel of the Department of the Army General Counsel of the Department of the Navy General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force Chief Information Officer, Department of Defense
Assistant Secretaries of Education
General Counsel, Department of Education Inspector General, Department of Education Chief Financial Officer, Department of Education Liaison for Community and Junior Colleges, Department of Education
Director of the Office of Educational Technology
Chief Information Officer, Department of Education Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Education Assistant Secretaries of Energy
General Counsel of the Department of Energy
Administrator, Economic Regulatory Administration, Department of Energy
Administrator, Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy
Inspector General, Department of Energy Director, Office of Science, Department of Energy
Chief Financial Officer, Department of Energy Chief Information Officer, Department of Energy Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration Additional Deputy Administrators of the National Nuclear Security Administration
Deputy Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Assistant Directors of the Office of Management and Budget
Members, Council of Economic Advisers Assistant Secretaries of Health and Human Services
General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services
Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Department of Health and Human Services
Chief Financial Officer, Department of Health and Human Services Chief Information Officer, Department of Health and Human Services Federal Insurance Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Assistant Secretaries, Department of Homeland Security General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Department of Homeland Security
Chief Financial Officer, Department of Homeland Security Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security Inspector General, Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief Information Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistant Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development
General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
President, Government National Mortgage Association, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Inspector General, Department of Housing and Urban Development Chief Financial Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development Chief Information Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency
General Counsel of the Office of the National Intelligence Director
Assistant Secretaries of the Interior
Solicitor of the Department of the Interior
Inspector General, Department of the Interior Chief Financial Officer, Department of the Interior Chief Information Officer, Department of the Interior Assistant Attorneys General Associate Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice
Director, Community Relations Service Director, Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice
Director of the National Institute of Justice
Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics
Inspector General, Department of Justice Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Director, United States Marshals Service Chief Financial Officer, Department of Justice Chief Information Officer, Department of Justice Assistant Secretaries of Labor
Solicitor of the Department of Labor
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health
Inspector General, Department of Labor Chief Financial Officer, Department of Labor The Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Department of Labor
Chief Information Officer, Department of Labor Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Chief Financial Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Chief Information Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Assistant Secretaries of State
Special Representatives of the President for arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament matters, Department of State
Inspector General, Department of State Ambassadors at Large Chief Financial Officer, Department of State Chief Information Officer, Department of State General Counsel, Department of Transportation Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration Assistant Secretaries of Transportation
Deputy Federal Highway Administrator
Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Chief Financial Officer, Department of Transportation Chief Information Officer, Department of Transportation Assistant Secretaries of the Treasury
General Counsel of the Department of the Treasury
Deputy Under Secretaries of the Treasury (or Assistant Secretaries of the Treasury) Inspector General, Department of Transportation Inspector General, Department of the Treasury Chief Financial Officer, Department of the Treasury Chief Information Officer, Department of the Treasury Assistant Administrators, Agency for International Development
Regional Assistant Administrators, Agency for International Development Inspector General, Agency for International Development Chief Information Officer, Agency for International Development Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretaries, Department of Veterans Affairs General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs Chief Financial Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs Chief Information Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Administrator of General Services Deputy Director of the Peace Corps
General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board
First Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Director of Selective Service
Assistant Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution
Assistant Secretary for History and Art, Smithsonian Institution
Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration
Executive Vice President, Overseas Private Investment Corporation Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Director of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Executive Director for Operations, Nuclear Regulatory Commission President, National Consumer Cooperative Bank Special Counsel of the Merit Systems Protection Board
Deputy Director, Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation
Chief Counsel for Advocacy, Small Business Administration Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Assistant Administrators, United States Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General, United States Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General, Export-Import Bank Inspector General, General Services Administration Inspector General, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management Inspector General, Railroad Retirement Board Inspector General, Small Business Administration Inspector General, Tennessee Valley Authority Inspector General, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Inspector General, Resolution Trust Corporation Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Chief Financial Officer, United States Environmental Protection Agency Commissioner, Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation
Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau
Inspector General, Social Security Administration Chief Information Officer, United States Environmental Protection Agency Chief Information Officer, General Services Administration Chief Information Officer, National Science Foundation Chief Information Officer, Nuclear Regulatory Agency
Chief Information Officer, Office of Personnel Management Chief Information Officer, Small Business Administration Inspector General, United States Postal Service Members, United States International Trade Commission Members, Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Members, Federal Communications Commission Member, Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Directors, Federal Housing Finance Board Members, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Members, Federal Trade Commission Members, Surface Transportation Board Members, National Labor Relations Board Members, Securities and Exchange Commission Members, Merit Systems Protection Board Members, Federal Maritime Commission Members, National Mediation Board Members, Railroad Retirement Board Members, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Members, National Transportation Safety Board Members, Postal Regulatory Commission Members, Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Members, Consumer Product Safety Commission Members, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Members, Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission Chairman, Federal Labor Relations Authority Chairman, Board of Veterans' Appeals
Chairman, United States Parole Commission Deputy Director of the Office of Emergency Planning
Commissioner of Interama
Level 4 pay history
FedPayscale tracks Executive Schedule Level 4 from 2014 through 2026. Since 2014, this level has changed by $40,100 or 25.53%.
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $197,200 |
| 2025 | $195,200 |
| 2024 | $191,900 |
| 2023 | $183,500 |
| 2022 | $176,300 |
| 2021 | $172,500 |
| 2020 | $170,800 |
| 2019 | $166,500 |
| 2018 | $164,200 |
| 2017 | $161,900 |
| 2016 | $160,300 |
| 2015 | $158,700 |
| 2014 | $157,100 |
How Level 4 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 4 helps show where this level sits above the regular GS structure.