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:

2025 Basic Pay
SK Employees
(BU and NBU)
Effective Date: 04/06/25

Grade Minimum Maximum
1 $24,483 $35,854
2 $27,530 $40,317
3 $30,036 $43,986
4 $33,716 $49,368
5 $37,726 $57,713
6 $42,051 $64,326
7 $46,732 $72,538
8 $51,748 $80,331
9 $57,159 $90,028
10 $62,947 $99,143
11 $69,161 $117,170
12 $82,889 $140,439
13 $98,571 $166,998
14 $113,183 $191,752
15 (supv) $119,980 $207,094
16 $129,257 $219,516
17 (supv) $137,013 $237,078

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 23.79%
Boston 32.58%
Chicago 30.86%
Denver 30.52%
Fort Worth 27.26%
Los Angeles 36.47%
Miami 24.67%
New York 37.95%
Philadelphia 28.99%
San Francisco 46.34%
Washington, DC 33.94%

The salary cap, including locality pay, is $289,400 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:

2025 Pay Chart
Senior Officers
Effective Date: 04/06/2025

Pay Structure (No Locality)
SO Level 2025
Minimum
2025
Maximum
Level 1 $205,772 $312,357
Level 2 $205,772 $318,642
Level 3 $205,772 $318,642

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

Last Reviewed or Updated: April 28, 2025