Animal Science
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Animal Science occupation series (code 0487): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 55 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Animal Science ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Biological Sciences Group family. Its average salary of $141,981 pays above the federal average.
- Headcount change
- 0.0%
- Pay change
- -0.8%
- Avg tenure
- 16.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #30 of 31
FedScope read on Animal Science (thin series)
For job seekers weighing career length: this series shows a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Headcount moved sideways versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend. As for pay, the latest move was a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement.
Code 04, the Biological Sciences Group family, is where the federal government classifies Animal Science alongside 30 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Animal Science postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family. Animal Science makes up 0.1% of the Biological Sciences Group family's 67,961 combined employees.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Animal Science pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$141,981
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+21.0%
Where Animal Science ranks on rich federal pay
Animal Science earns more on average than 84% of federal occupation series (453 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Animal Science sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Animal Science.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,629 | $116,550 | 16.2 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,629 | $143,306 | 16.3 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Animal Science outside the Biological Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (55 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($141,981 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Animal Science pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Biological Sciences Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Animal Science postings on USAJOBS.
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.