18 Types Of Federal Government Jobs (Including Benefits)

Updated April 18, 2024

The federal government employs many people in multiple job types across various markets. You may find jobs in administration, finances, security, clerical, construction and design within various departments and organizations. Understanding the many types of federal government jobs available on the market can help you identify one that works for your needs. In this article, we describe the benefits earned when working for the federal government and list multiple job types you may enjoy, including the national average salary and primary job duties for each.

Benefits of federal government jobs

Working for the federal government provides many unique benefits that may make a career with them worth considering. These advantages include:

Increased stability: The federal government provides regular support for its many departments and organizations, which helps make these positions more secure than work in the private sector. For example, government facilities may need constant security protection and hire a firm to provide it.
Consistent work schedules: Federal employees may have stable hours and high job security in their field. Many governmental organizations keep regular schedules that work well for people who prefer consistent hours.
Better health benefits: Federal government employees receive health care insurance through the federal program. This coverage helps them pay for preventative care and treatments.
More pension options: Many federal government jobs provide pensions for their employees, no matter their position. These pensions help people retire comfortably and improve their overall life quality.
Steady pay: Most federal employees receive regular payment without worrying about missing a check. Depending on their position, they may also receive bonuses and raises throughout their career.
Increased opportunities for advancement: Federal career paths may include opportunities for advancement that could improve your career. For example, correctional officers could earn promotions to detectives and security specialists.
Improved ability to help others: People working for the federal government may help the public. For example, federal tax officials can help people understand tax laws and ensure that they prepare their returns correctly.

People may get federal government jobs in many ways. For example, some positions remain open to the public, while others focus on military personnel or other national authorities. These jobs include posts similar to private-sector careers, such as secretaries, lawyers and mechanical engineers.Related: FAQ: What Are Federal Jobs?

18 types of federal government jobs

Here's a list of 18 positions you might pursue working for the federal government. For the most up-to-date salary information from Indeed, visit indeed.com/salaries.

1. Secretary

National average salary: $40,266 per yearPrimary job duties: Secretaries perform many essential clerical responsibilities for federal government offices. They may take phone calls, schedule appointments, collect data, produce work schedules, take dictation, greet office visitors, clean offices, store vital information and type reports. Federal secretaries may work for many professionals, including military officers, congress representatives, presidential aides and department managers. Duties may vary depending on these positions, with some federal secretaries earning limited security clearance.Related: Learn About Being a Secretary

2. Correctional officer

National average salary: $39,810 per yearPrimary job duties: Federal correctional officers enforce laws and regulations for federal businesses and provide general security. For example, a military base may include civilian federal correction officers who can arrest soldiers. Correctional officers may also work at federal offices and provide general security and protection for personnel and visitors. These officials also collect evidence from crime scenes, interview witnesses and interrogate suspects to get important information about any on-site criminal behavior.

3. Data entry clerk

National average salary: $40,389 per yearPrimary job duties: Data entry clerks collect essential information in a department and store it in physical or digital storage mediums. Their job duties include reading through this information, sorting it based on various factors, ensuring data accuracy, selecting the proper storage option and filing it in these areas. Entry clerks may work in many federal environments, including collecting tax information, compiling financial data for accounting departments and storing important congress memos and legal documents.

4. Computer network support specialist

National average salary: $50,152 per yearPrimary job duties: Computer network support specialists create and maintain computer networks for federal officials. Their responsibilities include creating a secure network, improving its overall operation, teaching employees proper network security protocols, training computer network specialists in their department, repairing any network errors and providing general support for network operation. These specialists ensure that these federal networks include specialized security protocols that keep sensitive data secure, such as limited access networks.

5. Human resources specialist

National average salary: $47,207 per yearPrimary job duties: Human resources, or HR, specialists handle a federal employer's staff to ensure work satisfaction. For example, HR specialists may perform many tasks, including brainstorming customer appreciation plans, identifying morale-boosting efforts for employees, addressing employee concerns, building stronger connections between employees with team-building exercises and ensuring everyone follows company guidelines. Federal HR specialists may perform the same general tasks as private-sector HR teams and comply with federal workplace guidelines.

6. Firefighter

National average salary: $46,220 per yearPrimary job duties: Federal firefighters protect federal property from fires and fire risks. For example, they may work on federal lands, such as military bases and nature preserves, and watch for potential fires. They may also work in federal buildings, handling fire protection measures. These steps may include installing smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers and fire-protection doors that automatically seal during a fire. Federal firefighters also perform regular maintenance on these systems and fight fires when they occur.

7. Sheet metal worker

National average salary: $53,492 per yearPrimary job duties: Sheet metal workers create, install, repair and maintain metal sheet products for the federal government. Their primary responsibilities include developing new metal sheets, bending sheets to fit specific shapes, hauling sheets to installation destinations, repairing sheets when damaged, testing products for durability and strength, fabricating new products and maintaining metal structure integrity. Sheet metal workers may work in many federal departments on multiple construction projects, including military equipment and base construction.

8. Tax specialist

National average salary: $64,546 per yearPrimary job duties: Federal tax specialists help various government bodies handle tax collection and preparation needs. For example, a tax specialist for a government department may prepare their taxes, explain multiple tax rules, correct common filing errors, discuss new tax updates, identify potential tax breaks and file taxes for a department. These professionals may also audit their department or others to correct possible errors and ensure they follow all tax rules and minimize filing errors.

9. Accountant

National average salary: $59,606 per yearPrimary job duties: Federal accountants handle financial preparation and record-keeping for their departments. Primary responsibilities include calculating credits, balancing a department's budget, tracking costs, identifying potential record mistakes, updating financial records, providing information for tax preparation, discussing new budgets, creating new financial plans and explaining a department's financial health. Skilled federal accountants ensure proper financial data storage and handling and follow strict federal guidelines.Related: Learn About Being an Accountant

10. Lawyer

National average salary: $93,223 per yearPrimary job duties: Lawyers for federal organizations protect their legal rights during lawsuits and criminal trials. Federal lawyers may also help organizations pursue compensation in cases, such as when a federal contractor sues their client for a contract breach. Other duties lawyers may perform include providing expert help when writing legal documents, notarizing important federal documents, explaining rules and regulations to employees, training other legal authorities in their department and providing general advice in legal situations.Related: Learn About Being a Lawyer

11. Customer service representative

National average salary: $38,964 per yearPrimary job duties: Customer service representatives may work in many federal departments and handle customer calls, address customer concerns and help customers better understand various facts. For example, a customer service representative for federal tax officials may discuss a customer's tax return, discuss its progress and give them a return estimate. Customer service representatives may also screen phone calls for important congress representatives, including sending phone calls to specific extensions based on a caller's needs.Related: Learn About Being a Customer Service Representative

12. Chemist

National average salary: $71,290 per yearPrimary job duties: Chemists work in scientific environments and handle chemicals for various experimental labs and production companies. Their duties include testing new chemical combinations, creating better medications, assessing chemicals for safety, labeling all chemicals properly, cleaning labs correctly, ensuring proper lab safety, presenting experiment reports to team leaders and brainstorming new concepts. They may work in many federal fields, including researching new vaccines, developing stronger military chemical compounds and producing effective bonding compounds for federal construction projects.

13. Logistician

National average salary: $66,400 per yearPrimary job duties: Logisticians work in various planning fields and help federal businesses with multiple tasks. For example, logisticians may plan material shipments, product delivery, personnel transportation, food delivery, system upgrades and meeting locations. Logisticians plan these event elements, including deciding how many items to ship, where to ship them, what routes shipping trucks use, ways these items get off-loaded and options for air shipment. They may work in many governmental departments, including for military and defense contractors.

14. Office clerk

National average salary: $36,770 per yearPrimary job duties: Federal office clerks may handle many duties that help federal offices run smoothly. They may set their supervisors' schedule, arrange meeting times, book meeting place destinations, contact employees about important office matters, handle paperwork, answer phone calls, perform minor accounting and even set an office's style. For example, an office clerk may order new decorations and upgrade old furniture to keep an office comfortable and relaxing. Clerks may also work on various office-improvement projects, such as updating a facility's cleaning procedures.Related: Learn About Being an Office Clerk

15. Painter

National average salary: $48,051 per yearPrimary job duties: Painters may work on multiple federal projects and provide many services. For example, painters may paint a federal building's interior and exterior, update paintwork on bridges, create decorative art for offices, paint federal vehicles, maintain military vehicle paintwork, plan new painting upgrades and create decorative murals during various federal holidays. Federal painters may work directly for a specific department, including defense contractors focusing on painting military vehicles, bases and living facilities.Related: Learn About Being a Painter

16. Security engineer

National average salary: $108,356 per yearPrimary job duties: Security engineers help design various digital security systems for federal employers. Their tasks may include creating new digital security protocols, creating a cyber security network, maintaining IT security structure, tracking hacking attempts, ensuring a network follows federal guidelines, training employees in better security guidelines and updating security systems when needed. These professionals may create multiple security systems for federal facilities, including cloud-based VPN systems and firewall connections.

17. Mechanical engineers

National average salary: $89,424 per yearPrimary job duties: Mechanical engineers perform many engineering and design duties for federal facilities and departments. For example, they may design new mechanical devices, build a test model for these products, test each new item, improve and upgrade each device, experiment with product security, stress-test each item to ensure it stays strong and create manufacturing guidelines for these tools and machines. Mechanical engineers may work in multiple federal departments, including creating new military vehicles and producing new computers and office equipment for federal departments.Related: Learn About Being a Mechanical Engineer

18. Registered nurses

National average salary: $70,822 per yearPrimary job duties: Registered nurses may provide many services for the federal government. For example, registered nurses provide hands-on care for recovering soldiers in federal veterans' hospitals. They can also work in military hospitals on bases or in educational centers. Some federal nurses may also work in various federal buildings to provide special care. For instance, a registered nurse might work in congress meeting places to test for sickness, treat injuries and provide general medical care for federal employees and officials.Related: Learn About Being a Registered Nurse (RN)