4 High-Paying, In-Demand Government Jobs To Consider in 2025
Written by
Jordan Rosenfeld
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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When looking for a good job, people often prioritize good benefits such as reliable healthcare, solid retirement plan with matching funds and a reasonable time-off policy. Other qualities include longevity and purpose.
Government jobs have the potential to meet all of these criteria. Experts explained what high-paying government jobs Americans should look for.
Federal Shakeups
Before you can talk about looking for government jobs, it’s important to mention that President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day hiring freeze across the federal government on his first day in office. Additionally, thousands of federal workers across a variety of departments have been laid off.
Steven Lowell, career coach and reverse recruiter at Find My Profession, said, “I do not see any in-demand, high-paying jobs coming up in 2025. In fact, I expect to see the hiring freeze last into 2026.”
However, government jobs exist at the state and county levels, too, and it’s worth looking at all sectors.
Don’t Stop Applying
These conditions do not mean you should stop applying for federal jobs, Lowell said.
“The federal hiring process can take several months, and if everyone stops applying or a job seeker has a tentative offer, when hiring starts again, the federal job seeker, who never stopped applying will have his/her name in front of more people without competition.”
With so many layoffs happening in the federal government, it’s understandable to be concerned about job security and the chances of landing a good role. But there are still some areas where jobs will not only be available but could also pay really well in 2025.
Cybersecurity Jobs
Even with layoffs, Doug Crawford, founder of Best Trade Schools LLC, anticipates that jobs in cybersecurity are “going to be huge.”
“With all the cyberattacks happening lately, especially targeting government agencies, there’s a growing demand for people who know how to protect data and secure systems,” he said. For folks looking to break into these jobs, he suggested looking to government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.
“These jobs are pretty high-paying, especially for those with experience in things like ethical hacking or information security.”
The median salary for information security analysts was $120,360 per year as of 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Public Health Jobs
Crawford believes that public health is another field that’s still going to be in demand. “We all saw how critical public health workers were during the pandemic, and the government will keep investing in this area to improve systems and manage future health emergencies,” he said.
However, this is yet to be seen, given that the newly appointed Health and Human Services director, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s attitude toward existing public health policies, such as vaccines and fluoride, calls into question his willingness to uphold existing policies. However, Crawford remains optimistic that “There will be a need for people like epidemiologists, health data analysts and healthcare policy experts.”
If you’ve got a background in public health or data science, jobs in these fields can be competitive in both pay and job stability.
The median pay for epidemiologists was $81,390 per year as of 2023, according to the BLS; medical and health services managers, $110,680 per year; and health and safety engineers, $103,690.
Law Enforcement and Intelligence Jobs
There will always be a need for law enforcement and intelligence experts, as well, Crawford said. “The government is always hiring people like criminal investigators, intelligence analysts and border protection officers. These positions tend to offer solid pay, especially for specialized roles related to national security, like counterterrorism and intelligence.”
The median pay for police and sheriff’s patrol officers is $72,000 but salaries can extend over $110,000 per year. The average annual salary for Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) officers is around $117,000, according to Indeed.
AI-Enabled Advanced Manufacturing Jobs
Looking ahead in 2025, an emerging trend is that artificial intelligence (AI) will be required for all high-paying jobs in many career areas going forward, but especially advanced manufacturing, according to Becky Lewis, director of workforce development at NextFlex.
Although AI and emerging technology are all the rage, Lewis said there is actually a huge gap in U.S. manufacturing between small and midsize manufacturers leveraging this kind of technology and that of big corporations/global manufacturers.
“Multi-disciplinary technician-level occupations remain at a huge deficit nationally for advanced manufacturing, particularly process technicians, robotics technicians, electronics technicians and others that can bridge manufacturing processes to help transition production from manual to automation or incorporating emerging technologies.”
This may actually provide opportunities that don’t require advanced degrees, she said. “Interestingly, most job postings related to AI do not require AI-specific degrees; this provides an opportunity for innovative and short-term training programs that can be created and leveraged to address the gap,” she said.
The takeaway for government jobs overall is that, while there’s definitely uncertainty right now, there are still some government jobs that are expected to be in-demand. If you’re looking to get into one of these fields, it’s a good idea to focus on gaining the right skills, certifications or degrees.
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