What is the starting salary for entry-level ICE positions?
Executive summary
Entry-level pay for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) roles varies widely by job title, hiring band and data source: some estimates put entry-level investigators/agents at federal GS/GL starts near $29,350–$48,371, while aggregated private-job-site averages for “ICE agent” roles cluster between roughly $58k–$75k per year (about $28–$36/hr) [1] [2] [3] [4]. Government job notices for specific entry-level Deportation Officer postings also highlight large hiring incentives — up to $50,000 in signing/retention bonuses — which affect total first‑year compensation but are separate from base salary [5] [6].
1. What “entry-level ICE” can mean — different jobs, different paybands
ICE is not a single salary line: Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO) Deportation Officers, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, and civilian support roles are paid under different federal schedules and private-job-site aggregates. Some career‑path writeups say entry-level agents begin at GL-7 (quoted as $48,371) while other reporting cites GS‑5 starts (~$29,350) for positions labeled “ICE agent” in news summaries; both figures appear in current coverage and reflect different hiring entry points or role classifications [2] [1] [7].
2. Federal-grade figures reported in trade/overview pieces
Career guides and aggregated profiles note an entry-level GL-7 start figure of $48,371 for ICE agents, with long-term advancement up to GS‑15 salary levels in senior ranks [2]. Separately, multiple news outlets and data summaries repeating O*NET-style comparisons list GS‑5 entry starts near $29,350 for some entry-level agent classifications; that lower figure appears in reporting summarizing typical GS entry levels rather than a single definitive ICE pay table [1] [7].
3. Private salary aggregators show higher averages — job-site data and ranges
Commercial job aggregation sites present higher average wages for “ICE” or “Ice Agent” listings: ZipRecruiter shows national averages near $62,702/year (~$30.15/hr) and state-specific averages from about $58k in Texas (~$28.09/hr) to higher hourly averages in New York and California (~$33/hr and ~$29.75/hr respectively) [3] [8] [9] [10]. Salary.com gives an agency-wide average around $74,836/year (~$36/hr) and payscale ranges reflecting multiple roles and experience levels inside the organization [4]. These aggregators mix public‑sector postings, private job ads and user-submitted data; they produce a higher composite picture than some federal-grade entry numbers [3] [4].
4. Hiring bonuses and incentives change first‑year compensation
Several USAJOBS announcements for ICE Deportation Officer openings explicitly advertise up to $50,000 in signing and retention bonuses for entry-level hires; that is a material boost to initial compensation but separate from base pay bands reported elsewhere [5] [6]. When comparing figures, factor whether bonuses are included — they can make first‑year take-home materially higher than base GS/GL pay.
5. Why numbers diverge — data source, job title and geography
Differences arise because (a) federal GS/GL grades depend on specific vacancy announcements and qualifications (GL‑7 vs GS‑5 are distinct), (b) private aggregators pool many roles and experience levels and (c) locality pay and state/city cost‑of‑living adjustments shift take‑home pay substantially [2] [3] [10]. ZipRecruiter and Salary.com reflect market postings and reported salaries across locations; government notices and career guides cite formal federal grade starts [3] [4] [2].
6. What reporting does not answer directly
Available sources do not give a single authoritative “starting salary” for every ICE entry role — the exact base depends on the advertised GS/GL grade, the specific job (e.g., Deportation Officer vs. HSI special agent), locality pay and whether a signing/retention bonus applies. The agency’s internal pay tables or a specific USAJOBS vacancy notice for the exact position and location are the definitive references; current reporting offers multiple competing figures rather than one definitive number (not found in current reporting).
7. How to evaluate offers and next steps for applicants
If you’re evaluating an offer or planning to apply, consult the actual USAJOBS vacancy (the announcement lists salary, GS/GL grade and any bonus) and compare locality pay for the job location; use aggregators like ZipRecruiter/Salary.com only as market context for typical realized earnings [5] [3] [4]. Watch announcements that explicitly state bonuses (some ICE Deportation Officer postings advertise up to $50,000) and read the job’s GS/GL grade to translate to a base salary band [5] [6].
Summary judgment: reported entry-level ranges vary — from roughly $29k (GS‑5 figures in media summaries) to roughly $48k (GL‑7 career‑guide starts) on formal federal scales, while private salary sites report typical hires in the ~$58k–$75k annual range; up to $50k in bonuses may apply to some entry-level Deportation Officer hires [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].