Average Contract Specialist Salary

The top respondents for the job title Contract Specialist are from the companies U.S. Air Force (USAF), U.S. Army and U.S. Department of Defense. Reported salaries are highest at U.S. Department of Energy where the average pay is $91,079. Other companies that offer high salaries for this role include U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Navy, earning around $82,000 and $82,000, respectively. U.S. Air Force (USAF) pays the lowest at around $60,273. Defense Logistics Agency and U.S. Army also pay on the lower end of the scale, paying $62,821 and $70,084, respectively.

Skills in Contract Management, Contract Negotiation and Legal Document Review are correlated to pay that is above average. Skills that pay less than market rate include Customer Service and Microsoft Excel.

An entry-level Contract Specialist with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of $48,746 based on 135 salaries. An early career Contract Specialist with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $57,029 based on 1,337 salaries. A mid-career Contract Specialist with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $66,563 based on 782 salaries. An experienced Contract Specialist with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $69,358 based on 651 salaries. In their late career (20 years and higher), employees earn an average total compensation of $73,969.

Employees with Contract Specialist in their job title in Washington, District of Columbia earn an average of 28.8% more than the national average. These job titles also find higher than average salaries in Seattle, Washington (21.4% more) and Chicago, Illinois (8.0% more). The lowest salaries can be found in Austin, Texas (15.7% less), Atlanta, Georgia (5.8% less) and Houston, Texas (0.6% less).