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Small Business Administration salary estimate

$50,827yearly

$24.44 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$29,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Small Business Administration Salaries

The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides various roles offering competitive salaries, averaging $50,827 per year. Salaries can vary significantly depending on factors such as job position, location, and department. For example, finance positions often command higher salaries due to their specialized nature. The highest paying roles at the SBA can be found in urban centers, where the cost of living is typically higher.

Top Positions and Locations

Some of the best-paying jobs within the SBA include administrative roles and financial analysts. Locations such as Washington D.C. and New York tend to offer the highest salaries, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in these areas. By exploring specific departments and roles, applicants can better understand where their skills are best valued.

Highest paying jobs at Small Business Administration

The highest paying jobs at Small Business Administration are general counsel, senior advisor, team leader, and business development consultant. General counsel jobs at Small Business Administration earn an average yearly salary of $103,704, Small Business Administration senior advisor jobs average $96,016, and Small Business Administration team leader jobs average $91,003.

The lowest paying Small Business Administration roles include data entry clerk and customer service representative. Small Business Administration data entry clerk average salary is $35,891 per year. So while the average Small Business Administration salary is $50,827 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at Small Business Administration

RankJob titleAverage Small Business Administration salaryHourly rate
1General Counsel$103,704$49.86
2Senior Advisor$96,016$46.16
3Team Leader$91,003$43.75
4Business Development Consultant$86,354$41.52
5Sharepoint Developer$85,691$41.20
6Chief, Port Director$82,960$39.88
7Construction Analyst$81,513$39.19
8Attorney$80,479$38.69
9District Director$79,911$38.42
10Legal Extern$76,824$36.93
11Program Analyst$76,327$36.70
12Underwriter$73,100$35.14
13Public Information Officer$72,762$34.98
14Project Manager$72,743$34.97
15Business Consultant$71,607$34.43
16Paralegal Specialist$71,429$34.34
17Law Clerk$68,913$33.13
18Supervisor$57,761$27.77
19Secretary$54,491$26.20
20Document Examiner$54,096$26.01

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Average Small Business Administration salary by state

Small Business Administration pays the highest salaries in District of Columbia due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.

RankStateAverage Small Business Administration salaryHourly rate
1District of Columbia$60,711$29.19
2California$54,689$26.29
3Georgia$46,501$22.36

How much does Small Business Administration pay by location?

The average Small Business Administration salary varies by location. Small Business Administration salaries are the highest in Washington, DC, at $60,776 per year. Small Business Administration pays the second highest average salary in Boston, MA, at $59,362 per year. It's important to factor in the cost of living when negotiating a salary or choosing a place to work.

Highest paying Small Business Administration locations

RankLocationAverage Small Business Administration salaryHourly rate
1Washington, DC$60,776$29.22
2Boston, MA$59,362$28.54
3Hartford, CT$58,874$28.30
4Newark, NJ$57,901$27.84
5Buffalo, NY$57,693$27.74
6Concord, NH$54,844$26.37
7Citrus Heights, CA$54,701$26.30
8Herndon, VA$53,670$25.80
9King of Prussia, PA$52,570$25.27
10Denver, CO$51,891$24.95
11Detroit, MI$51,509$24.76
12Chicago, IL$51,360$24.69
13Dallas, TX$48,644$23.39
14Sioux Falls, SD$47,861$23.01
15Anchorage, AK$47,730$22.95
16Kansas City, MO$47,400$22.79
17Hazard, KY$46,965$22.58
18Little Rock, AR$46,846$22.52
19Atlanta, GA$46,604$22.41
20Columbia, SC$44,912$21.59

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Small Business Administration salaries by department

Salaries at Small Business Administration vary depending on the department you work in. Small Business Administration salaries in the engineering department are the highest with an average salary of $86,612. Employees in the construction department at Small Business Administration receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $78,599 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Small Business Administration include the customer service and the administrative organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $37,528 and $41,246, respectively.

Average Small Business Administration salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage Small Business Administration salaryHourly rate
1Engineering$86,612$41.64
2Construction$78,599$37.79
3IT$67,782$32.59
4Marketing$66,573$32.01
5Business Development$64,029$30.78
6Legal$63,996$30.77
7Human Resources$56,476$27.15
8Non Profit/Government$51,140$24.59
9Finance$46,694$22.45
10Administrative$41,246$19.83
11Customer Service$37,528$18.04

How much does Small Business Administration pay by department?

Best paying Small Business Administration finance salaries

RankPositionAverage Small Business Administration salaryHourly rate
1Policy Advisor$89,491$43.02
2Finance Analyst$80,643$38.77
3Contracts Specialist$79,553$38.25
4Program Analyst$76,327$36.70
5Underwriter$73,100$35.14
6Business Consultant$71,607$34.43
7Specialist-Small Business$71,311$34.28
8Voucher Examiner$51,451$24.74
9Loan Officer$43,216$20.78
10Loan Specialist$42,294$20.33
11Finance Internship$40,275$19.36

Best paying Small Business Administration legal salaries

RankPositionAverage Small Business Administration salaryHourly rate
1General Counsel$103,704$49.86
2Attorney$80,479$38.69
3Legal Extern$76,824$36.93
4Assistant Counsel$73,634$35.40
5Paralegal Specialist$71,429$34.34
6Real Estate Paralegal$69,054$33.20
7Law Clerk$68,913$33.13
8Law Internship$48,252$23.20
9Legal Assistant$45,502$21.88

Best paying Small Business Administration administrative salaries

RankPositionAverage Small Business Administration salaryHourly rate
1Administrator$74,740$35.93
2Contract Worker$73,875$35.52
3International Trade Specialist$73,499$35.34
4General Internship$56,666$27.24
5Secretary$54,491$26.20
6Document Examiner$54,096$26.01
7Administrative Support Specialist$41,366$19.89
8Administrative Assistant$41,146$19.78
9Data Operator$40,288$19.37
10Office Assistant$39,012$18.76
11Receptionist$37,697$18.12
12Office Automation Clerk$36,257$17.43
13Data Entry Clerk$35,891$17.26
14Student Internship$35,745$17.19

Small Business Administration competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at Small Business Administration competitors, like Pearlman, Minority Business Development Agency, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, vary. Pearlman employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $76,236. The average salary at Minority Business Development Agency is $64,401 per year, and the average salary at U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is $60,138 per year.

Highest paying Small Business Administration competitors

What employees say about salary at Small Business Administration

Employee reviews
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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2022
Pros of working at Small Business Administration

Each Loan is different and is handled differently

Cons of working at Small Business Administration

Currently because of Covid the loans may possible run out and contract work

Small Business Administration benefits

The flexible hours

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021
Pros of working at Small Business Administration

Training, results oriented approach, and mid level management

Cons of working at Small Business Administration

Lack of flexibility for family life

Small Business Administration benefits

Benefits (financial), work and life balance, emergency leave.

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2.0
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021
Pros of working at Small Business Administration

The pay

Cons of working at Small Business Administration

Felt like I wasn’t helping people

Small Business Administration benefits

Being able to be active during work

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2021
Pros of working at Small Business Administration

Nice people good place to work good hour people very helpful

Cons of working at Small Business Administration

Low salary

Small Business Administration benefits

Overtime

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2021
Pros of working at Small Business Administration

Fast learning and fast paced environment.

Cons of working at Small Business Administration

That I'm not able to move up to higher positions when I know everything to be the manager, but we are family owned.

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Frequently asked questions about Small Business Administration salaries

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Small Business Administration, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Small Business Administration. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Small Business Administration. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Small Business Administration. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Small Business Administration and its employees or that of Zippia.

Small Business Administration may also be known as or be related to Office of Economic Research, Small Business Administration, U.S. Small Business Administration, US Small Business Admin and Us Small Business Administration.