Records analyzed
18 sub-agencies
Cross-joined with state geography and occupational mix
OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce
Department of Education
Headcount, average pay, length of service, sub-agencies, and hiring trends for Department of Education, drawn directly from the OPM FedScope federal workforce dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
Department of Education is a smaller federal agency: 4,052 employees (0.2% of the federal civilian workforce) across 18 states (including DC). At an average salary of $145,334 it pays well above the federal average of $109,869, and headcount declined 3.7% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 4,052
- Share of workforce
- 0.2%
- Avg salary
- $145,334
- States present
- 18
Federal workforce data for Department of Education. This agency represents 0.2% of the total federal civilian workforce. Source: OPM FedScope, March 2025.
What the Numbers Say About Department of Education
Department of Education employs 4,052 federal civilian workers, which accounts for 0.2% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 reported in the OPM FedScope March 2025 release. Compared to the prior period, headcount moved down by -3.7%, a signal that hiring authorities and attrition at this agency are shedding net positions during the current reporting window.
Average length of service at Department of Education is 15.1 years, spread across its 18 sub-agencies, a retention signal: longer-tenured workforces tend to hold deeper institutional knowledge, while shorter tenure points to faster cycling through early-career hires. For applicants weighing federal employers, that tenure pattern is as telling as headline pay (how this agency's salary compares to the federal average is broken down in Salary Analysis below).
Geographic reach is another signal of scale: Department of Education has employees in 18 states (including DC), with the largest concentration in DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (1,814 employees at $151,463 avg salary). Over the most recent 4 months of workforce-dynamics data, the agency recorded 55 accessions against 271 separations for a net change of -216 positions, useful context for job seekers evaluating whether Department of Education is expanding, contracting, or simply replacing departures. All figures draw directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes and update semi-annually (March and September).
Workforce Overview
Employees
4,052
Mid-sized employer
-3.7% from prior period
Average Salary
$145,334
Well above federal average
+0.0%
Avg Length of Service
15.1 yrs
Long-tenured workforce
Sub-agencies
18
Data vintage
March 2025
OPM FedScope semi-annual snapshot
Source authority
OPM FedScope
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, official federal HR data
Department of Education pay vs. federal civilian average
Agency average $145,334 relative to federal average $109,869
Federal General Schedule pay-grade distribution
The federal civilian workforce concentrates in the GS-11 to GS-13 grades. These are the actual federal-wide General Schedule employee counts from OPM FedScope, per-agency grade breakdowns are not published in the public extract, so this shows the national distribution Department of Education hires into rather than a modelled per-agency estimate.
National General Schedule grade distribution - 1,517,243 GS employees.
Salary Analysis
How Department of Education pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Workforce by pay band
How Department of Education's 4,052 employees split across salary ranges (sub-agency averages).
- Under $80k: 35 (1%)
- $120k–$150k: 3,044 (75%)
- $150k+: 973 (24%)
Agency Average
$145,334
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
+32.3%
Where Department of Education ranks on pay
Ranked by agency (not weighted by headcount), its average salary of $145,334 is higher than 52% of the 115 federal agencies (60 pay less on average). Smaller specialized agencies often post higher per-employee averages than large ones like Department of Education, so this agency-count rank can differ from a comparison to the government-wide, employee-weighted average shown above. The highlighted bar marks where Department of Education sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 115 federal agencies; Department of Education ranks higher than 52%.
Salary Range by Sub-agency
Under $80K
35
$80K–$100K
0
$100K–$120K
0
$120K–$150K
3,044
Over $150K
973
Sub-agencies & Organizational Units
Department of Education has 18 sub-agencies. The highest-paying unit averages $168,348.
| Sub-agency | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Student Aid | 1,413 | $148,889 | 15.2 yrs |
| Office for Civil Rights | 581 | $138,456 | 13 yrs |
| Office of Finance and Operations | 408 | $144,312 | 17 yrs |
| Office of Elementary and Secondary Education | 293 | $133,197 | 13.5 yrs |
| Office of Inspector General | 190 | $152,481 | 19.6 yrs |
| Institute of Education Sciences | 185 | $152,820 | 13.2 yrs |
| Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services | 174 | $152,287 | 15.1 yrs |
| Office of Postsecondary Education | 171 | $125,084 | 15.9 yrs |
| Office of the General Counsel | 118 | $162,983 | 14.8 yrs |
| Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development | 113 | $156,933 | 15.9 yrs |
| Office of the Chief Information Officer | 91 | $168,348 | 17.1 yrs |
| Office of the Duty Secretary of Education | 79 | $133,900 | 14.7 yrs |
| Office of Communications and Outreach | 67 | $144,621 | 19.1 yrs |
| Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education | 54 | $157,390 | 18.6 yrs |
| Immediate Office of the Secretary of Education | 48 | $150,041 | 13.9 yrs |
| National Assessment Governing Board | 35 | $71,040 | 6.7 yrs |
| Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs | 17 | $136,702 | 8.6 yrs |
| Office of English Language Acquisition | 15 | $131,350 | 13.7 yrs |
Geographic Presence
Department of Education has employees in 18 states (including DC). DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA has the most with 1,814 employees.
| State | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 1,814 | $151,463 | 16.1 yrs |
| MARYLAND | 356 | $151,053 | 18.2 yrs |
| VIRGINIA | 203 | $153,250 | 14.3 yrs |
| GEORGIA | 161 | $135,413 | 14.6 yrs |
| TEXAS | 154 | $134,156 | 13.4 yrs |
| ILLINOIS | 130 | $138,506 | 16.8 yrs |
| CALIFORNIA | 121 | $150,189 | 16.5 yrs |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 94 | $138,506 | 13.9 yrs |
| NEW YORK | 86 | $142,554 | 13.7 yrs |
| COLORADO | 63 | $137,527 | 14.1 yrs |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 55 | $140,369 | 11.7 yrs |
| FLORIDA | 41 | $150,449 | 11.1 yrs |
| WASHINGTON | 41 | $140,192 | 14.9 yrs |
| MISSOURI | 40 | $126,558 | 13.3 yrs |
| OHIO | 37 | $137,887 | 12.4 yrs |
| NEW JERSEY | 32 | $142,601 | 12.8 yrs |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 18 | $128,968 | 9.9 yrs |
| KANSAS | 12 | $118,480 | 11.9 yrs |
Workforce Dynamics
Monthly hiring and separation trends. Net change over 4 months: -216.
| Month | Accessions | Separations | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | +0 | -190 | -190 |
| Jan 2025 | +16 | -67 | -51 |
| Dec 2024 | +0 | -14 | -14 |
| Sep 2024 | +39 | -0 | +39 |
Hiring & Separation Reasons
Why employees join and leave Department of Education
Accession Reasons
New Hire - Excepted Service Appointment
55
Separation Reasons
Retirement - Voluntary
104
Retirement - Early Out
85
Quit
82
Employee Tenure Distribution
Average length of service is 15.1 years. Employees in sub-agencies grouped by average tenure.
Under 5 yrs
0
5–10 yrs
52
10–15 yrs
1,319
15–20 yrs
2,681
Over 20 yrs
0
Federal Employment Guides
Learn more about working for the federal government
Similar-Sized Agencies
Federal agencies with a similar workforce size to Department of Education
Smithsonian Institution
4,453 employees $135,267 avg
Securities and Exchange Commission
4,744 employees $230,991 avg
U.S. Agency for International Development
4,922 employees $152,896 avg
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
2,941 employees $157,299 avg
Office of Personnel Management
2,941 employees $121,220 avg
National Archives and Records Administration
2,810 employees $93,615 avg
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work at Department of Education? ▾
Department of Education employs 4,052 federal workers as of March 2025. This represents 0.2% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average salary at Department of Education? ▾
The average salary at Department of Education is $145,334 per year, which is 32.3% above the federal average of $109,869.
What is the average length of service at Department of Education? ▾
The average length of service at Department of Education is 15.1 years. The federal average is 11.8 years.
How many sub-agencies does Department of Education have? ▾
Department of Education has 18 sub-agencies or organizational units. The largest is Federal Student Aid with 1,413 employees.
In how many states does Department of Education have employees? ▾
Department of Education has employees in 18 states (including DC). The largest concentration is in DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA with 1,814 employees.
Is Department of Education hiring or downsizing? ▾
Over the most recent 4 months of data, Department of Education had 55 accessions and 271 separations, for a net change of -216 employees.
Where can I find salary data for occupations at Department of Education? ▾
PlainGovJobs reports the average salary for Department of Education from the OPM FedScope dataset. For pay broken down by individual occupation, browse this site's occupation directory, each occupation page lists its federal average salary and workforce size from the same OPM source.
Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGovJobs
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from OPM FedScope. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: Federal workforce figures from OPM FedScope as of the March 2025 snapshot, with current openings from USAJOBS; compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope agency-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.