Compensation Overview

Jan. 25, 2017

How the SEC Sets Salaries

Starting salaries are determined based on an assessment of the candidate’s total experience (and education, as applicable). This includes both specialized experience (directly related to the duties of the position being filled) and relevant experience (not directly related to the duties of the position, but which prepared the candidate for success in the position). In determining a salary offer, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) applies structured “pay matrices” that define the amounts of experience needed for pay to be set at specific rates between the minimum and maximum salary range for each grade. The Basic Pay ranges below reflect the candidate’s full range for the selected grade. However, a candidate's initial salary in most instances after being calculated, is determined to be lower than the maximum rate of the salary range based on their years of specialized experience, relevant experience, and grade level.

Information Used by the Office of Human Resources Staff to Set Pay

The resume that a candidate submits when applying for a SEC position is used by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) Compensation Team to identify creditable specialized and relevant experience. To ensure your experience is accurately credited, it is essential that you submit a resume that includes your complete work history and description of specific position duties, start and end dates for each position, and differentiate between full-time and part-time work done.

SK Employees 

Basic Pay

The basic pay range for each grade level are as follows:

2024 Basic Pay
SK Employees
(BU and NBU)
Effective Date: 04/07/24

Grade Minimum Maximum
1 $24,074 $35,255
2 $27,070 $39,643
3 $29,534 $43,251
4 $33,152 $48,543
5 $37,095 $56,748
6 $41,348 $63,251
7 $45,951 $71,325
8 $50,883 $78,988
9 $56,204 $88,523
10 $61,895 $97,486
11 $68,005 $115,211
12 $81,503 $138,091
13 $96,923 $164,206
14 $111,291 $188,547
15 (supv) $117,974 $203,632
16 $127,096 $215,847
17 (supv) $134,723 $233,115

Locality Pay

The locality rates presented below are applied to an employee’s basic pay based on the duty location.

Duty Station Locality Rate
Atlanta 23.45%
Boston 31.97%
Chicago 30.41%
Denver 29.88%
Fort Worth 26.91%
Los Angeles 35.84%
Miami 24.42%
New York 37.24%
Philadelphia 28.55%
Salt Lake City 16.82%
San Francisco 45.41%
Washington, DC 33.26%

The salary cap, including locality pay, is $284,600 for all SK staff.

All locations are subject to the minimum/maximum ranges and salary cap.

Senior Officers 

Pay Chart

The salary ranges for the Senior Officer (SO) levels are as follows:

2024 Pay Chart
Senior Officers
Effective Date: 04/07/2024

Pay Structure (No Locality)
SO Level 2024
Minimum
2024
Maximum
Level 1 $200,988 $305,096
Level 2 $200,988 $311,235
Level 3 $200,988 $311,235

The above minimum/maximum salary ranges apply to all duty stations, there is no locality pay.

Last Reviewed or Updated: March 12, 2025