Updated August 22, 2022

USDA Salary Estimate

$42,612

$20.49 hourly

Entry level Salary
$26,000 yearly

How Much Does USDA Pay?

USDA pays an average salary of $42,612 per year, or $20.49 an hour. USDA pays those in the bottom 10 percent $26,000 a year, and the top 10 percent over $68,000. USDA employees in different sectors tend to have different salaries as well. For example, employees in the engineering sector earn an average yearly salary of $63,498, while employees in the marketing sector earn an average yearly salary of $58,329. In terms of how geography influences how much USDA pays employees, those located in Boston, MA, Orient, NY, and Burlington, VT earn the highest salaries.

Highest Paying Jobs At USDA

While USDA employees earn an average yearly salary of $42,612, different roles can command different wages. The higher paying positions at USDA include senior java developer, information technology specialist, researcher, and public health veterinarian. A typical senior java developer salary at USDA is $91,958. Other roles at USDA include student worker and office clerk. A student worker at USDA earns an average yearly salary of $25,275.

Highest Paying Jobs At USDA

RankJob TitleAverage USDA SalaryHourly Rate
1Senior Java Developer$91,958$44.21
2Information Technology Specialist$78,575$37.78
3Researcher$75,382$36.24
4Public Health Veterinarian$75,027$36.07
5Agricultural Economist$75,013$36.06
6Molecular Biologist$73,817$35.49
7Research Chemist$73,062$35.13
8Program Manager$67,950$32.67
9Civil Engineer$66,202$31.83
10Project Manager$64,358$30.94
11Human Resource Specialist$62,915$30.25
12Budget Analyst$60,558$29.11
13Consultant$59,534$28.62
14Management Analyst$59,401$28.56
15Soil Scientist$58,758$28.25
16Wildlife Biologist$58,191$27.98
17Fire Fighter$58,107$27.94
18Supervisor$57,876$27.83
19Soil Conservationist$56,027$26.94
20Agricultural Engineer$52,832$25.40

Highest Paying USDA Competitor Salaries

Competitors of USDA include Southern Nevada Water Authority, City of Hope, and U.S. Department of State. Employees at Southern Nevada Water Authority earn more than most of the competition, with an average yearly salary of $62,469. Employees at City of Hope earn an average of $60,515 per year, and the employees at U.S. Department of State earn an average salary of $60,373 per year.

Salaries By USDA Competitors

How Much Does USDA Pay By Location?

Cost of living can vary dramatically depending on the part of the country you're in. At USDA, the employees are paid different salaries depending on their location. The city that stands out for having the highest pay is Boston, MA, where USDA pays its workers an average salary of $52,034. USDA Employees in Orient, NY don't earn quite as much. The median salary in Orient, NY is $50,324.

Salaries By Location At USDA

RankLocationAverage USDA SalaryHourly Rate
1Boston, MA$52,034$25.02
2Orient, NY$50,324$24.19
3Burlington, VT$47,261$22.72
4Albany, CA$46,906$22.55
5Beltsville, MD$46,401$22.31
6Saint Paul, MN$43,820$21.07
7Mandan, ND$42,958$20.65
8East Peoria, IL$42,927$20.64
9East Lansing, MI$42,785$20.57
10Fort Collins, CO$42,254$20.31
11Hilo, HI$42,185$20.28
12Madison, WI$42,086$20.23
13Boise, ID$40,058$19.26
14Clay Center, NE$40,000$19.23
15Saint Louis, MO$39,979$19.22
16Lubbock, TX$39,703$19.09
17Las Cruces, NM$39,465$18.97
18Maricopa, AZ$39,354$18.92
19Logan, UT$39,100$18.80
20Bowling Green, KY$38,592$18.55

USDA Salaries By Department

Salaries at USDA can vary depending on the department or organizational function. Employees who work in the engineering organizational function tend to get paid the most at at USDA, earning an average yearly salary of $63,498. The marketing organizational function also pays relatively high compared to other departments, where employees earn $58,329. The organizational functions at USDA that pay the least are administrative and customer service. Workers in these departments earn $36,703 and $38,472, respectively.

Salaries By Department At USDA

RankDepartmentAverage USDA SalaryHourly Rate
1Engineering$63,498$30.53
2Marketing$58,329$28.04
3IT$56,661$27.24
4Finance$53,478$25.71
5Plant/Manufacturing$48,726$23.43
6Hospitality/Service$47,921$23.04
7Healthcare$46,777$22.49
8Non Profit/Government$46,259$22.24
9Human Resources$46,223$22.22
10Research & Development$43,550$20.94
11Facilities$41,955$20.17
12Agriculture$40,447$19.45
13Customer Service$38,472$18.50
14Administrative$36,704$17.65

How Much Does USDA Pay by Department?

Best Paying USDA Research & Development Position Salaries

RankPositionAverage USDA SalaryHourly Rate
1Researcher$75,382$36.24
2Molecular Biologist$73,817$35.49
3Plant Pathologist$70,183$33.74
4Entomologist$61,134$29.39
5Soil Scientist$58,758$28.25
6Botanist$58,368$28.06
7Wildlife Biologist$58,191$27.98
8Agronomist$58,133$27.95
9Hydrologist$57,596$27.69
10Chemist$57,315$27.56
11Doctoral Fellow$49,466$23.78
12Wildlife Health Specialist$49,188$23.65
13Research Internship$44,929$21.60
14Research Assistant$40,566$19.50
15Biological Technician$39,591$19.03
16Biological Science Aid$39,012$18.76
17Laboratory Assistant$38,067$18.30
18Laboratory Technician$32,299$15.53

Best Paying USDA Administrative Position Salaries

RankPositionAverage USDA SalaryHourly Rate
1Administrative Officer$54,534$26.22
2Secretary$50,233$24.15
3Project Management Internship$42,553$20.46
4Administrative Assistant$38,578$18.55
5Office Automation Clerk$36,171$17.39
6Office Assistant$35,757$17.19
7Clerical Specialist$34,328$16.50
8Student Internship$32,335$15.55
9Data Entry Associate$32,253$15.51
10Receptionist$31,860$15.32
11Data Entry Clerk$31,633$15.21
12Clerical Worker$28,636$13.77
13Student Worker$25,276$12.15

Best Paying USDA Agriculture Position Salaries

RankPositionAverage USDA SalaryHourly Rate
1Meat Grader$52,763$25.37
2Food Inspector$44,802$21.54
3Consumer Safety Inspector$43,477$20.90
4Forest Technician$38,532$18.52
5Forestry Technician$37,570$18.06
6Forestry Aide$34,947$16.80

Frequently Asked Questions About USDA Salaries

Is The Pay Good At Usda?

No, the pay is not good at USDA. Compared to the industry average of $47,069 per year, the average annual salary at USDA is $42,612, which is 9.47% lower.

What Is The Starting Pay At Usda?

The starting pay at USDA is $26,000 per year, or $12.50 per hour.

How Much Does Usda Pay Compared To Bureau Of Land Management?

USDA pays $42,612 per year on average compared to Bureau of Land Management which pays $47,563. That works out to $20.49 per hour at USDA, compared to $22.87 per hour at Bureau of Land Management.

How Much Does Usda Pay An Hour?

USDA pays $20.49 an hour, on average.

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of USDA, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about USDA. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at USDA. 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 USDA. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of USDA and its employees or that of Zippia.

USDA may also be known as or be related to U.S. Deoartment of Agriculture, USDA and Usda.