Records analyzed
14 sub-agencies
Cross-joined with state geography and occupational mix
OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce
Department of Interior
Headcount, average pay, length of service, sub-agencies, and hiring trends for Department of Interior, drawn directly from the OPM FedScope federal workforce dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
Department of Interior is a major federal employer: 63,752 employees (2.8% of the federal civilian workforce) across 51 states (including DC). At an average salary of $95,844 it pays below the federal average of $109,869, and headcount declined 8.1% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 63,752
- Share of workforce
- 2.8%
- Avg salary
- $95,844
- States present
- 51
Federal workforce data for Department of Interior. This agency represents 2.8% of the total federal civilian workforce. Source: OPM FedScope, March 2025.
What the Numbers Say About Department of Interior
Department of Interior employs 63,752 federal civilian workers, which accounts for 2.8% 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 -8.1%, 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 Interior is 14 years, spread across its 14 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 Interior has employees in 51 states (including DC), with the largest concentration in CALIFORNIA (6,047 employees at $97,868 avg salary). Over the most recent 12 months of workforce-dynamics data, the agency recorded 13,168 accessions against 11,825 separations for a net change of +1,343 positions, useful context for job seekers evaluating whether Department of Interior 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
63,752
Large employer
-8.1% from prior period
Average Salary
$95,844
Below federal average
+6.5%
Avg Length of Service
14 yrs
Long-tenured workforce
Sub-agencies
14
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 Interior pay vs. federal civilian average
Agency average $95,844 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 Interior hires into rather than a modelled per-agency estimate.
National General Schedule grade distribution - 1,517,243 GS employees.
Salary Analysis
How Department of Interior pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Workforce by pay band
How Department of Interior's 63,752 employees split across salary ranges (sub-agency averages).
- Under $80k: 3,071 (5%)
- $80k–$100k: 40,416 (63%)
- $100k–$120k: 14,480 (23%)
- $120k–$150k: 4,949 (8%)
- $150k+: 836 (1%)
Agency Average
$95,844
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
-12.8%
Where Department of Interior ranks on pay
Ranked by agency (not weighted by headcount), its average salary of $95,844 is higher than 6% of the 115 federal agencies (7 pay less on average). Smaller specialized agencies often post higher per-employee averages than large ones like Department of Interior, 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 Interior sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 115 federal agencies; Department of Interior ranks higher than 6%.
Salary Range by Sub-agency
Under $80K
3,071
$80K–$100K
40,416
$100K–$120K
14,480
$120K–$150K
4,949
Over $150K
836
Sub-agencies & Organizational Units
Department of Interior has 14 sub-agencies. The highest-paying unit averages $157,130.
| Sub-agency | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Park Service | 17,980 | $84,621 | 13.3 yrs |
| Bureau of Land Management | 9,853 | $87,778 | 13.8 yrs |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 8,724 | $99,063 | 14.7 yrs |
| Geological Survey | 8,305 | $103,033 | 13.3 yrs |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 5,771 | $104,662 | 13 yrs |
| Indian Affairs | 3,859 | $90,635 | 16.5 yrs |
| Bureau of Indian Education | 3,071 | $69,804 | 14.8 yrs |
| Office of the Secretary of the Interior | 3,034 | $134,372 | 16.1 yrs |
| Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement | 876 | $132,563 | 15 yrs |
| Bureau of Ocean Energy Management | 623 | $141,315 | 15.4 yrs |
| Office of the Solicitor | 541 | $157,130 | 13.1 yrs |
| Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement | 416 | $121,119 | 15 yrs |
| Bureau of Trust Funds Administration | 404 | $107,535 | 18.7 yrs |
| Office of the Inspector General | 295 | $152,984 | 17.3 yrs |
Geographic Presence
Department of Interior has employees in 51 states (including DC). CALIFORNIA has the most with 6,047 employees.
| State | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| CALIFORNIA | 6,047 | $97,868 | 13.2 yrs |
| COLORADO | 6,039 | $112,807 | 13.9 yrs |
| ARIZONA | 3,861 | $79,607 | 14.1 yrs |
| NEW MEXICO | 3,473 | $83,636 | 15 yrs |
| VIRGINIA | 3,203 | $123,316 | 15.8 yrs |
| OREGON | 2,514 | $88,941 | 14.3 yrs |
| WASHINGTON | 2,344 | $97,912 | 14 yrs |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 2,309 | $131,976 | 16.9 yrs |
| IDAHO | 2,132 | $91,830 | 14.3 yrs |
| NEVADA | 2,067 | $87,714 | 12.6 yrs |
| ALASKA | 2,048 | $103,970 | 13.9 yrs |
| UTAH | 1,997 | $82,239 | 12.7 yrs |
| MONTANA | 1,898 | $87,393 | 14.4 yrs |
| WYOMING | 1,724 | $83,767 | 13 yrs |
| FLORIDA | 1,521 | $88,107 | 12.9 yrs |
| TEXAS | 1,353 | $93,651 | 14.2 yrs |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | 1,173 | $80,388 | 14.8 yrs |
| OKLAHOMA | 1,084 | $85,851 | 13.4 yrs |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 970 | $92,929 | 14 yrs |
| LOUISIANA | 949 | $111,800 | 15 yrs |
Showing top 20 of 51 states
Workforce Dynamics
Monthly hiring and separation trends. Net change over 12 months: +1,343.
| Month | Accessions | Separations | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | +211 | -611 | -400 |
| Feb 2025 | +58 | -356 | -298 |
| Jan 2025 | +817 | -613 | +204 |
| Dec 2024 | +712 | -831 | -119 |
| Nov 2024 | +644 | -1,774 | -1,130 |
| Oct 2024 | +558 | -2,530 | -1,972 |
| Sep 2024 | +486 | -1,820 | -1,334 |
| Aug 2024 | +569 | -1,159 | -590 |
| Jul 2024 | +640 | -427 | +213 |
| Jun 2024 | +2,022 | -539 | +1,483 |
| May 2024 | +3,886 | -654 | +3,232 |
| Apr 2024 | +2,565 | -511 | +2,054 |
Hiring & Separation Reasons
Why employees join and leave Department of Interior
Accession Reasons
New Hire - Competitive Service Appointment
10,635
New Hire - Excepted Service Appointment
2,192
Transfer In - Individual Transfer
341
Separation Reasons
Termination (Expired Appt/Other)
5,919
Quit
3,595
Retirement - Voluntary
1,620
Transfer Out - Individual Transfer
587
Other Separation
104
Employee Tenure Distribution
Average length of service is 14 years. Employees in sub-agencies grouped by average tenure.
Under 5 yrs
0
5–10 yrs
0
10–15 yrs
54,245
15–20 yrs
9,507
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 Interior
Department of Transportation
57,204 employees $141,857 avg
Social Security Administration
56,263 employees $101,587 avg
Department of Commerce
47,410 employees $127,933 avg
Department of Agriculture
90,840 employees $88,591 avg
Department of Health and Human Services
92,269 employees $134,256 avg
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
17,973 employees $152,463 avg
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work at Department of Interior? ▾
Department of Interior employs 63,752 federal workers as of March 2025. This represents 2.8% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average salary at Department of Interior? ▾
The average salary at Department of Interior is $95,844 per year, which is 12.8% below the federal average of $109,869.
What is the average length of service at Department of Interior? ▾
The average length of service at Department of Interior is 14 years. The federal average is 11.8 years.
How many sub-agencies does Department of Interior have? ▾
Department of Interior has 14 sub-agencies or organizational units. The largest is National Park Service with 17,980 employees.
In how many states does Department of Interior have employees? ▾
Department of Interior has employees in 51 states (including DC). The largest concentration is in CALIFORNIA with 6,047 employees.
Is Department of Interior hiring or downsizing? ▾
Over the most recent 12 months of data, Department of Interior had 13,168 accessions and 11,825 separations, for a net change of +1,343 employees.
Where can I find salary data for occupations at Department of Interior? ▾
PlainGovJobs reports the average salary for Department of Interior 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.