How does the FBI agent compensation package compare to ICE in 2025?
Executive summary
In 2025 the published picture is clear: ICE agent base salaries are commonly reported in broadly lower advertised bands—roughly $49,700 to $89,500—while FBI special agents are reported with higher median and advertised ranges that push average total compensation into the roughly $69k–$113k zone depending on source (Newsweek; Indeed; Payscale) [1] [2] [3]. Both agencies offer meaningful overtime, locality pay adjustments, bonuses and federal benefits that can narrow or widen gaps depending on grade, location and experience [1] [4] [5].
1. How the headline numbers stack up: advertised ranges and market surveys
ICE recruiting pages and reporting in 2025 show advertised base salary windows roughly between $49,739 and $89,528, with statements that total pay can increase via overtime and locality differentials [1]. By contrast, labor-market aggregators and employer surveys place FBI special-agent pay higher on average: Indeed reports an average FBI special-agent yearly pay near $112,999 while ZipRecruiter and Payscale place average/entry compensation around $69k–$69.0k, reflecting variance by sample and methodology [2] [6] [3].
2. Entry-level vs senior pay: where each agency can top out
Multiple summaries indicate FBI law-enforcement pay scales tend to start higher and can reach a substantial ceiling—one federal-facing source cites a new-agent to senior-agent span roughly $78,000 to $153,000—while ICE reporting and compilations place many ICE roles in the $50k–six-figure band once locality, overtime and bonuses are counted [7] [5]. Third‑party job sites show ICE averages around $65,600, with 25th–75th percentiles roughly $52k–$78k, underscoring overlap but also the FBI’s stronger ceiling in several official estimates [8].
3. The role of GS grades, locality pay, overtime and legislative funding
Both agencies operate within federal pay systems where General Schedule grades, locality pay and law-enforcement supplements matter; agencies also add recruitment bonuses and overtime that materially change take‑home pay [9] [1]. Reporting in 2025 flagged a major budget and staffing expansion for ICE—legislation and appropriations pushing large sums toward hiring and operations—that prompted statements about bonuses and higher staffing allotments, factors that can push some ICE pay packages upward [5] [4].
4. Benefits, leave and non‑salary compensation: a closer comparison
Benefits and non‑salary compensation narrow some raw-salary differences: the FBI highlights generous paid time off, dedicated wellness hours, 12 weeks paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and a secure pension—items emphasized in recruitment material [10]. Coverage of ICE notes that agents receive standard federal benefits and that total compensation often includes overtime, location-dependent additions and newly announced bonuses tied to 2025 appropriations, with some outlets describing ICE benefits as broadly comparable to other federal law-enforcement roles [1] [5] [4].
5. Bottom line, alternative readings and reporting limits
Bottom line: available sources show FBI special agents often report higher median and top-of-scale pay in 2025, while ICE salaries as advertised sit lower on base bands but can reach comparable totals once overtime, locality pay and new bonuses are applied—creating significant overlap and local variation [1] [2] [8]. Alternative interpretations exist: agency recruitment materials, third‑party job sites and news outlets use different data sets (official ads vs. self‑reported wages vs. averages), so comparisons depend on whether one compares advertised base pay, median survey pay, or total compensation including bonuses and overtime [3] [6] [5]. Reporting limits: the sourced items vary in vintage and methodology and do not provide a single standardized 2025 total‑compensation table, so nuanced conclusions rely on reconciling those different frames [1] [2] [8].