How does ICE agent compensation compare to other federal law enforcement agencies?
Executive summary
ICE pay is rooted in the federal General Schedule (GS) system but augmented by law-enforcement special pays, locality adjustments and overtime, producing a wide band of total compensation that many reports place between roughly $50,000 at some entry points and six-figure totals for senior or highly augmented roles [1] [2] [3]. Aggregated data are mixed — private salary sites and payroll analyses offer different averages (from about $62k to $92k), and one analyst dataset claims ICE averages about 19.4% higher than other federal agencies, suggesting ICE compensation is often at or above peers when bonuses and special pays are counted [4] [5] [6].
1. How ICE pay is structured: base GS pay plus LEO add‑ons and locality
ICE positions are paid under the GS/GL matrix used across federal government, but many ICE law‑enforcement roles qualify for Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) and LEO-specific locality/special rate adjustments that can materially increase take‑home pay; LEAP is commonly cited as roughly a 25% add‑on to basic pay for covered criminal investigator roles [1] [7]. Hiring notices and agency guidance show advertised GS ranges depend on job series and locality — for example, Deportation Officer postings advertise roughly $49,739–$89,528 with overtime and locality pay noted as common uplifts [2].
2. Reported ranges and averages: a scatter of figures from multiple sources
Public facing compilations diverge: private job sites list ICE averages near $62,700–$74,800 depending on methodology (ZipRecruiter and Salary.com) while an open‑payroll aggregation reports a higher agency mean of $92,082 and explicitly compares that as 19.4% above other federal agencies [4] [5] [6]. Specialized recruitment writeups and job‑posting analyses show entry pay spanning GL‑7/GS‑7 up to GS‑13 starting figures and career ceilings into GS‑14/GS‑15 bands where postings list maximums up to about $167k–$192k for supervisory or senior investigator slots [8] [7].
3. Total compensation beyond base pay: bonuses, overtime and benefits
Multiple outlets and government guidance point out that overtime, premium pay, signing bonuses and loan‑repayment incentives can push ICE total comp well beyond base ranges — reporting cites signing bonuses as high as $50,000 and loan repayment up to $60,000 in some recruitment drives, plus overtime and premium pay for nights/weekends; the net effect can make ICE pay competitive with higher‑paying federal law enforcement specialties during hiring surges [9] [3] [2]. These inducements, along with standard federal benefits and retirement provisions, are available across many federal agencies, so the comparative advantage often depends on which special pays a role qualifies for and local labor markets [9] [1].
4. How ICE compares to other federal law‑enforcement agencies in plain terms
On a like‑for‑like basis (same GS grade, same locality, same LEAP eligibility), ICE pay mechanics are the same as other Department of Homeland Security investigative components and similar to other federal LEO series: the critical differentiators are how many positions qualify for LEAP/special rates, locality multipliers, and agency recruitment incentives at any moment [7] [1]. Aggregated snapshots suggest ICE’s average employee pay sits at or above many federal counterparts — the open‑payroll figure showing a roughly 19% premium versus other federal agencies is the clearest explicit comparative claim available in the reporting, though private job sites report lower averages depending on sample and methodology [6] [4] [5].
5. Caveats, competing narratives and limits of available data
The reporting mix reflects methodological variation: advertised ranges reflect posted GS steps [2], private salary sites use self‑reported data and job listings [4] [10], and payroll aggregators use broader federal pay records with different inclusion rules [6]. Major recent hiring drives and special recruitment funds mean ICE has been offering unusually large bonuses and special pay authorities in 2025–26, which inflates comparisons made during that window relative to historical norms [3] [11]. The sources do not provide a single, government‑published ICE‑vs‑FBI/USMS/ATF median comparison table; therefore the clearest, supported conclusion is that ICE compensation is comparable to or higher than many federal peers on average — particularly when special pay, LEAP and recruitment bonuses are active — but exact rankings depend on job series, grade, locality and the treatment of bonuses in any dataset [6] [7] [9].