DEA Special Agent Salary Guide

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agent is a federal criminal investigator whose responsibilities involve investigating and enforcing controlled substance laws. Typical duties include conducting surveillance, interviewing suspects and witnesses, writing reports, apprehending criminals and testifying in court.

Pay Grade:
DEA agents' salaries are based on government's General Services (GS) pay grade scale. When hired, agents begin at the GS-7 to GS-9 pay grade, which amounts to approximately $49,746 to $55,483 per year. The pay grade at which an agent is hired depends on work experience and education.

Training Pay
New DEA agents attend an intense,16-week training program in Quantico, Virginia. Although agents are paid during training, salaries are approximately 25% less than their salary upon training graduation. Training salary is approximately $37,309 to $41,612 depending on pay grade classification.

Locality Pay
After training, DEA agents are assigned to a field office based on the agency's current staffing needs. Locality pay is factored into the agent's salary and is based on the area's cost of living. For example, a DEA agent assigned to the San Francisco, California field office would have a higher salary than an agent of the same pay grade level assigned to the Cleveland, Ohio field office. To calculate salaries for various cities, see the Pay Tables in the Resources section for link.

Promotion
After four years of service, DEA agents can move up to the GS-13 pay grade level. DEA special agents at the GS-13 level earn approximately $92,592 per year. DEA agents can progress beyond the GS-13 pay grade by moving into management. The DEA typically promotes from within and many agents have worked their way into management positions within the agency.

Benefits
In addition to a yearly salary, DEA agents receive an option to contribute to a 401k with the Federal Employees Retirement System, group life insurance, health insurance, paid holidays, paid training and relocation reimbursement. Vacation and sick pay are accumulated based on years of service.

Many DEA agents also receive a take-home work car--all gas, repairs and maintenance are funded by the agency.