What is the average base salary for ICE agents by pay grade (GS level) in 2025?
Executive summary
Available reporting and public data show ICE agent pay varies widely by role and pay system: advertised averages for “ICE agent” roles range from about $62,700 (private-site aggregates) to $110,000–137,000 for investigators/special agents, while federal GL/GS law‑enforcement pay tables set base pay by grade/step with locality and overtime on top (OPM GL table referenced) [1] [2] [3]. Media and agency job postings confirm advertised entry and mid‑career ranges (examples: entry GL/GS listings around $48k–$50k up to advertised GS‑13/GS‑15 ranges and bonuses in 2025) [4] [5] [6].
1. What “average base salary by GS/GL” means — and why sources differ
Federal ICE compensation is determined by grade (GS or the law‑enforcement GL table), step within that grade, plus locality pay and potential overtime; that means a single “average” is misleading unless you specify grade, step and locality [3] [7]. Public job boards and crowd‑sourced sites report overall averages or employer‑reported totals that mix GL/GS base pay, locality adjustments and bonuses, producing the divergent figures seen across sources [1] [2].
2. Published federal pay schedule: the authoritative baseline
The Office of Personnel Management publishes the 2025 GL (law‑enforcement) salary table that sets the legally binding base rates for law‑enforcement federal employees; those base rates are the proper starting point to compute pay by grade before locality and overtime [3]. Available sources reference that structure explicitly but do not list every GL/GS grade’s dollar figure within these search results; the GL table is cited as the operative source [3].
3. Typical entry‑level and common hiring grades reported in 2025
Journalistic and career‑guide reporting in 2025 lists entry‑level ICE agent starts commonly at GL‑7 or GS‑7 for many investigative tracks (one career guide cites GL‑7 at $48,371), while other reporting and older summaries note GS‑5 as an entry possibility depending on job series and qualifications [4] [8]. ICE USAJOBS postings for deportation officers show open announcements covering GL‑5 through higher grades, confirming that multiple entry grades are used in hiring [9] [5].
4. What aggregate salary sites show — broad ranges, not grade‑specific averages
Aggregate sites and crowd‑sourced employer platforms report average annual pay for ICE roles clustered around $62,700 (ZipRecruiter) and about $65,600–$110,800 for “special agents” depending on the site; Glassdoor’s small sample puts Special Agent average around $137,376 but notes the figure is an estimate from limited submissions [1] [10] [2] [11]. These figures reflect mixes of GS/GL base, step levels, locality premiums and sometimes bonuses or total compensation; they do not map neatly to single GS/GL grade lines [2].
5. Mid‑career and supervisory pay — advertised GS‑13 to GS‑15 ranges
Career reporting and job summaries indicate experienced investigative agents can reach GS‑13 and above; one guide lists GS‑13 around $77,210 and GS‑15 up to $167,603 as 2025 reference points for experienced agents or supervisors [4]. News stories about hiring incentives in 2025 also cite advertised ranges for Deportation Officer hires around $49,739 to $89,528 and note separate sign‑on or retention bonuses layered on top of base pay [6].
6. Bonuses, overtime and misperceptions about “per‑arrest” pay
Multiple sources confirm ICE pay does not include per‑arrest bounties; compensation comes from grade/step with locality and authorized overtime (Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime or LEAP) and — in 2025 — some recruitment/retention bonuses for specified hires or rehires. Fact‑checks and policing of viral claims emphasize there is no legal bounty per migrant; bonuses disclosed in 2025 were time‑limited recruitment/retention incentives, not per‑apprehension payments [12] [13] [6].
7. What’s missing and how to get a precise “by‑grade” table
Available search results reference the OPM GL table (the canonical source) and multiple job postings and industry summaries, but the provided sources do not reproduce the full, grade‑by‑grade 2025 dollar amounts for every GL/GS step in plain text here [3]. For an exact, grade‑by‑grade 2025 breakdown you must consult the OPM 2025 GL and GS tables directly (the GL table is cited above) and then apply locality percentages from OPM or ICE locality pay guidance [3] [7].
8. Bottom line for readers seeking averages by GS level in 2025
Do not rely on a single aggregate site for grade‑specific numbers: use the OPM GL/GS tables as the authoritative base, then add locality and known agency bonuses (OPM GL table cited) [3]. Journalistic and employer postings show real hires span GL‑5/GS‑5 through GL/GS‑15 depending on role and experience, producing published reported averages between roughly $48k at early GL levels to six‑figure figures for senior investigative special agents when locality and bonuses are included [4] [2] [6].
Limitations: the supplied sources include summaries, job ads and aggregated salary sites but do not supply a single, fully enumerated GS/GL salary table in the search results you provided; for a definitive grade/step list consult OPM’s full 2025 tables [3].