Intelligence Officers
Overview
Introduction
Intelligence officers are employed by the federal government to gather, analyze, and report information about the activities of domestic groups and the governments of foreign countries in order to protect the interests and security of the United States. Federal policymakers seek specific information, or strategic intelligence, on a variety of factors concerning foreign nations. These factors include political, economic, military, scientific and technical, geographic, and biographical data. The U.S. government then uses this intellig...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Intelligence officers with bachelors degrees generally start at levels equivalent to GS-7 to GS-11, which corresponded to a salary range of $49,960 to $73,939, at the Step 1 level, in 2025. Candidates with advanced degrees may start at the GS-12 level, which paid $88,621 to $115,213 in 2025. Experience and additional qualifications, such as knowledge of a rare foreign language, bring higher sal...
Work Environment
Intelligence officers may find themselves in a laboratory, at a computer station, or in a jungle. Those working in counterintelligence and covert operations often face danger on a daily basis. In addition to gathering information to protect the security of the United States, intelligence officers may be called upon to spy on the defenses of nations hostile to the United States or to prevent for...
Outlook
Intelligence operations are closely linked to global politics. The intelligence sectors interest in particular countries and regions ebbs and flows based on political and economic developments, while other countries and regions are in constant focus. For example, after years of being a secondary focus, Russia has now become an intelligence-community priority as a result of its ongoing interfere...