Federal Jobs in New York: Where to Find Government Work in 2026

New York has thousands of federal job openings in 2026. Here's where the opportunities are, which agencies are hiring, and how to land a federal job in New York.

New York City and the surrounding region is home to one of the largest concentrations of federal employees outside of Washington DC. Financial regulation, law enforcement, immigration, healthcare, and defense all have major New York operations — and New York's locality pay makes federal salaries here among the highest in the country.

Why Federal Jobs in New York Pay So Well

New York City falls under the New York-Newark locality pay area — one of the highest in the country at approximately 37% above base GS pay. A GS-13 Step 1 earns over $135,000 in New York. GS-15 positions approach $190,000.

For federal employees, this locality pay partially bridges the gap with private sector salaries in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Top Federal Employers in New York

Federal Reserve Bank of New York: While technically not a traditional federal employer, the NY Fed offers some of the highest compensation in government-adjacent work for economists and financial professionals.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): New York regional office is one of the most active in the country, targeting Wall Street fraud and securities violations.

FBI New York Field Office: The largest FBI field office in the country, investigating terrorism, organized crime, public corruption, and cybercrime.

US Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York (SDNY): One of the most prestigious prosecutorial offices in the country.

Department of Homeland Security: CBP at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark process enormous international passenger and cargo volumes.

Social Security Administration: Regional headquarters in New York City with extensive field office network.

Department of Veterans Affairs: VA New York Harbor Healthcare System and VA Hudson Valley Health Care System serve large veteran populations.

IRS: Large New York operations including examination and criminal investigation.

Types of Federal Jobs Most Available in New York

• Financial examiner and regulator
• Special agent (FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service)
• CBP Officer and ICE agent
• Attorney (US Attorney's offices, regulatory agencies)
• IT specialist
• Administrative and program analyst

Getting Started With Federal Jobs in New York

The competition for New York federal positions is intense — particularly for law enforcement and regulatory roles. A strong, properly formatted federal resume that mirrors job announcement language is essential.

FedJobs builds your personalized match list from all New York-area federal openings and optimizes your resume for each application.

Find federal jobs in New York at FedJobs.co.

--- *All posts written for FedJobs.co — the smarter way to find and apply for federal government jobs.*