Records analyzed
1 sub-agencies
Cross-joined with state geography and occupational mix
OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce
Securities and Exchange Commission
Headcount, average pay, length of service, sub-agencies, and hiring trends for Securities and Exchange Commission, drawn directly from the OPM FedScope federal workforce dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
Securities and Exchange Commission is a smaller federal agency: 4,744 employees (0.2% of the federal civilian workforce) across 14 states (including DC). At an average salary of $230,991 it pays well above the federal average of $109,869, and headcount declined 3.3% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 4,744
- Share of workforce
- 0.2%
- Avg salary
- $230,991
- States present
- 14
Federal workforce data for Securities and Exchange Commission. This agency represents 0.2% of the total federal civilian workforce. Source: OPM FedScope, March 2025.
What the Numbers Say About Securities and Exchange Commission
Securities and Exchange Commission employs 4,744 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 -3.3%, a signal that hiring authorities and attrition at this agency are shedding net positions during the current reporting window.
Average length of service at Securities and Exchange Commission is 16.4 years, spread across its 1 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: Securities and Exchange Commission has employees in 14 states (including DC), with the largest concentration in DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (2,335 employees at $230,214 avg salary). Over the most recent 9 months of workforce-dynamics data, the agency recorded 108 accessions against 553 separations for a net change of -445 positions, useful context for job seekers evaluating whether Securities and Exchange Commission 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
4,744
Mid-sized employer
-3.3% from prior period
Average Salary
$230,991
Well above federal average
+1.2%
Avg Length of Service
16.4 yrs
Long-tenured workforce
Sub-agencies
1
Data vintage
March 2025
OPM FedScope semi-annual snapshot
Source authority
OPM FedScope
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, official federal HR data
Securities and Exchange Commission pay vs. federal civilian average
Agency average $230,991 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 Securities and Exchange Commission hires into rather than a modelled per-agency estimate.
National General Schedule grade distribution - 1,517,243 GS employees.
Salary Analysis
How Securities and Exchange Commission pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Agency Average
$230,991
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
+110.2%
Where Securities and Exchange Commission ranks on pay
Ranked by agency (not weighted by headcount), its average salary of $230,991 is higher than 98% of the 115 federal agencies (113 pay less on average). Smaller specialized agencies often post higher per-employee averages than large ones like Securities and Exchange Commission, so this agency-count rank can differ from a comparison to the government-wide, employee-weighted average shown above. The highlighted bar marks where Securities and Exchange Commission sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 115 federal agencies; Securities and Exchange Commission ranks higher than 98%.
Salary Range by Sub-agency
Under $80K
0
$80K–$100K
0
$100K–$120K
0
$120K–$150K
0
Over $150K
4,744
Sub-agencies & Organizational Units
Securities and Exchange Commission has 1 sub-agencies. The highest-paying unit averages $230,991.
| Sub-agency | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Securities and Exchange Commission | 4,744 | $230,991 | 16.4 yrs |
Geographic Presence
Securities and Exchange Commission has employees in 14 states (including DC). DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA has the most with 2,335 employees.
| State | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 2,335 | $230,214 | 16.5 yrs |
| NEW YORK | 571 | $244,991 | 15.5 yrs |
| CALIFORNIA | 326 | $243,832 | 16.9 yrs |
| ILLINOIS | 286 | $226,058 | 15.7 yrs |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 189 | $229,791 | 15.2 yrs |
| MARYLAND | 168 | $220,847 | 19.7 yrs |
| VIRGINIA | 161 | $229,233 | 17.8 yrs |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 158 | $224,827 | 17.1 yrs |
| COLORADO | 127 | $224,636 | 14.1 yrs |
| TEXAS | 125 | $220,636 | 16.8 yrs |
| FLORIDA | 118 | $216,057 | 16.4 yrs |
| GEORGIA | 117 | $222,966 | 17.3 yrs |
| UTAH | 17 | $194,864 | 14.4 yrs |
| NEW JERSEY | 11 | $254,922 | 17.1 yrs |
Workforce Dynamics
Monthly hiring and separation trends. Net change over 9 months: -445.
| Month | Accessions | Separations | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | +0 | -306 | -306 |
| Feb 2025 | +0 | -28 | -28 |
| Jan 2025 | +0 | -40 | -40 |
| Dec 2024 | +0 | -33 | -33 |
| Aug 2024 | +0 | -32 | -32 |
| Jul 2024 | +0 | -91 | -91 |
| Jun 2024 | +30 | -12 | +18 |
| May 2024 | +78 | -0 | +78 |
| Apr 2024 | +0 | -11 | -11 |
Hiring & Separation Reasons
Why employees join and leave Securities and Exchange Commission
Accession Reasons
New Hire - Excepted Service Appointment
108
Separation Reasons
Retirement - Voluntary
224
Termination (Expired Appt/Other)
119
Quit
99
Retirement - Early Out
94
Retirement - Other
17
Federal Employment Guides
Learn more about working for the federal government
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Federal agencies with a similar workforce size to Securities and Exchange Commission
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4,922 employees $152,896 avg
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4,453 employees $135,267 avg
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4,052 employees $145,334 avg
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work at Securities and Exchange Commission? ▾
Securities and Exchange Commission employs 4,744 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 Securities and Exchange Commission? ▾
The average salary at Securities and Exchange Commission is $230,991 per year, which is 110.2% above the federal average of $109,869.
What is the average length of service at Securities and Exchange Commission? ▾
The average length of service at Securities and Exchange Commission is 16.4 years. The federal average is 11.8 years.
How many sub-agencies does Securities and Exchange Commission have? ▾
Securities and Exchange Commission has 1 sub-agencies or organizational units. The largest is Securities and Exchange Commission with 4,744 employees.
In how many states does Securities and Exchange Commission have employees? ▾
Securities and Exchange Commission has employees in 14 states (including DC). The largest concentration is in DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA with 2,335 employees.
Is Securities and Exchange Commission hiring or downsizing? ▾
Over the most recent 9 months of data, Securities and Exchange Commission had 108 accessions and 553 separations, for a net change of -445 employees.
Where can I find salary data for occupations at Securities and Exchange Commission? ▾
PlainGovJobs reports the average salary for Securities and Exchange Commission 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.