Vermont / Natural Resources Agency / General Counsel II
Job-title file
Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.
1 employee holds this title in Natural Resources Agency. Median total compensation for the role is $150,342, above the department median of $84,354.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in Vermont, the median wage for Lawyers — about 1,330 people — is $127,310. Natural Resources Agency pays a median base salary of $135,450 for this role, 6% above that figure — about the 53rd percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in Vermont, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Natural Resources Agency’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Natural Resources Agency’s median base salary is 15% below that national figure, about the 39th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Vermont range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Natural Resources Agency is $135,450, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
General Counsel II is held in 7 Vermont departments. In Natural Resources Agency, the median of $150,342 ranks #3 of 7.
Median total compensation for the General Counsel II role in other Vermontdepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 14 jurisdictions. In Vermont, the median of $140,005 ranks #10 of 14. See General Counsel across all of Vermont →
Median total compensation for comparable General Counsel roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.
Record list
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General Counsel II/Natural Resources Agency
Catherine Gjessing is a General Counsel II at Natural Resources Agency. They work exempt. 2026 total compensation came to $150,342.