Agricultural Commodity Grading
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Agricultural Commodity Grading occupation series (code 1980).
The verdict
Agricultural Commodity Grading is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 1,562 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family. At an average salary of $69,487 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 0.2% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 1,562
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $69,487
- Avg tenure
- 11.4 yrs
FedScope read on Agricultural Commodity Grading (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 1,562 people work in the Agricultural Commodity Grading occupation (OPM code 1980) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.2% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Agricultural Commodity Grading pays $69,487 per year on average, moving up 0.0% from the prior period (a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change). Employees in this role stay an average of 11.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 19, the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, is where the federal government classifies Agricultural Commodity Grading alongside 2 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Agricultural Commodity Grading postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family.
Agricultural Commodity Grading makes up 21.5% of the 7,261 employees across the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, ranking #2 of 3 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (33rd percentile) of pay among Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Agricultural Commodity Grading pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$69,487
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-40.8%
Where Agricultural Commodity Grading ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $69,487 is higher than 25% of federal occupation series (136 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Agricultural Commodity Grading sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Agricultural Commodity Grading ranks higher than 25%.
Related Occupations in Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group
2 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assurance | 4,964 | $119,613 | 16.9 yrs |
| Agricultural Commodity Aid | 735 | $38,048 | 5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Agricultural Commodity Grading outside the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (1,562 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($69,487 here).
Key takeaways
- Agricultural Commodity Grading pays below the federal average by 40.8% ($69,487 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 25th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 1,562 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.2% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Agricultural Commodity Grading ranks #173 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Agricultural Commodity Grading makes up 21.5% of the 7,261 employees across the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, ranking #2 of 3 occupations in that family by headcount.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.