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How much do ICE agents earn in salary and benefits?
Executive summary
Federal job listings and reporting show ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) pay varies widely by occupation and grade: advertised Deportation Officer (a common ICE entry-level enforcement title) ranges roughly $49,739–$89,528 annually on USAJobs postings cited by Newsweek, with overtime and locality pay potentially increasing take‑home pay [1]. Independent salary sites report differing averages — ZipRecruiter shows typical “Ice Agent” hourly averages around $28–$33 depending on state (e.g., $30.15 nationwide, $32.98 in New York, $29.75 in California) while Glassdoor reports much higher averages for Special Agents (about $137,376/year) based on self-submitted data [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. USAJobs also lists federal benefits packages for DHS/ICE jobs including health insurance, retirement and TSP [7].
1. Job titles matter: “ICE agent” is not a single paycheck
ICE encompasses many roles — Deportation Officers, Special Agents, support staff — with separate pay scales. Newsweek highlights Deportation Officer listings with advertised salary bands of $49,739–$89,528 per year on USAJobs for current openings [1]. By contrast, Glassdoor’s user-reported average for “Special Agent” at ICE is much higher (about $137,376/year), reflecting a different classification and seniority level [6]. Any simple “how much do ICE agents earn” question must first define which title and pay grade is meant [1] [6].
2. Public job postings — baseline federal ranges and benefits
USAJobs postings for ICE roles emphasize federal pay ranges and a standard federal benefits package: health/dental/vision insurance, life and long‑term care, retirement, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), flexible spending accounts, employee assistance, leave and federal holidays [7]. Newsweek cites those USAJobs salary ranges for Deportation Officers and notes that ICE says overtime and locality differentials can raise pay beyond the advertised base [1]. The postings also mention recruitment/retention incentives in some hiring periods [7].
3. Market sites show divergent averages — sample figures and caveats
Commercial aggregators give differing snapshots: ZipRecruiter’s “Ice Agent” pages list average hourly pay typically in the high $20s to low $30s across states — e.g., $30.15/hr nationwide, $32.98/hr in New York, $29.75/hr in California, and $28.09/hr in Texas — with wide reported ranges and percentiles [2] [3] [4] [5]. ZipRecruiter also posts an annualized figure for an “ICE Special Agent” around $65,642/year in one listing, showing how labels and data sources change outputs [8]. These sites derive figures from job postings and user submissions and therefore reflect different samples and definitions than official federal pay tables [2] [8].
4. Employee-reported data often shows higher pay for senior roles
Glassdoor’s compilation of self-reported salaries indicates Special Agents at ICE report a mean around $137,376/year, with a reported range from roughly $104,007 (25th percentile) to $183,112 (75th percentile) and top‑end reports near $235,614 — numbers that likely reflect experienced agents, supervisory grades, or roles with significant overtime/awards [6]. Glassdoor also aggregates across many job functions at ICE and gives an overall employee compensation/benefits satisfaction metric [9].
5. Bonuses, incentives and policy changes can shift compensation quickly
Newsweek reports recent policy and budget decisions that affect compensation: a multi‑year bonus program for existing agents (a $10,000 yearly bonus for some agents for the next four years, per that report) and signing/retention incentives tied to new funding were described during 2025 debate over enforcement funding [1]. These policy decisions are specific to particular funding packages and implementations; they can materially change total compensation but depend on eligibility and congressional appropriations [1].
6. How to interpret the spread — simple takeaways and limitations
Available sources show base federal job listings for a frontline enforcement title around $49k–$89k/year with additional pay possible via locality, overtime, and bonuses [1] [7]. Commercial salary sites give lower-to-moderate hourly averages for generic “ICE agent” jobs (mid $20s–low $30s/hour) and employee-submitted sites show much higher averages for specialized or senior roles [2] [3] [4] [6]. Limitations: ZIPRecruiter and Glassdoor use different methodologies and job-label mappings than USAJobs; sources do not provide a single, definitive ICE-wide salary figure [2] [6] [7].
If you want a precise estimate for a particular ICE title, grade, and location (e.g., Deportation Officer GS grade and locality pay in Los Angeles), I can pull the specific USAJobs/GS pay table entries and locality adjustments cited in current postings — available sources do not mention those exact GS step numbers in your query [7].