Aviation Safety

What the Numbers Say About Aviation Safety

0.2% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Aviation Safety occupation (OPM code 1825): 4,316 people, headcount down -0.0% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Aviation Safety is $142,755 per year, placing it 29.9% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.6% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 14.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 18, the Investigation Group family, is where the federal government classifies Aviation Safety alongside 19 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Aviation Safety postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Aviation Safety makes up 2.0% of the 211,925 employees across the Investigation Group family, ranking #7 of 20 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (85th percentile) of pay among Investigation Group occupations.