Biological Science Student Trainee
Everything OPM FedScope (March 2025) reports about the Biological Science Student Trainee occupation series (code 499): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Biological Science Student Trainee is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 453 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Biological Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $41,294 it pays below the federal average of $109,869, and headcount declined 23.2% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 453
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $41,294
- Avg tenure
- 1.6 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Biological Science Student Trainee
As of the March 2025 reporting window, 453 people work in the Biological Science Student Trainee occupation (OPM code 499) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -23.2% from 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.
Average tenure in Biological Science Student Trainee runs 1.6 years, a comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce. Pay averages $41,294 per year, 62.4% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 3.1% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.
Code 4, the Biological Sciences Group family, is where the federal government classifies Biological Science Student Trainee alongside 30 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Biological Science Student Trainee 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.
Biological Science Student Trainee makes up 0.7% of the 69,668 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #20 of 31 occupations in that family by headcount.
Employees
453
-23.2% from prior period
Average Salary
$41,294
+3.1%
Avg Length of Service
1.6 yrs
Occupation Family
Biological Sciences Group
Salary Context
How Biological Science Student Trainee pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Occupation Average
$41,294
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
-62.4%
Where Biological Science Student Trainee ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $41,294 is higher than 1% of federal occupation series (8 of 634). The highlighted bar marks where Biological Science Student Trainee sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 634 federal occupation series; Biological Science Student Trainee ranks higher than 1%.
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 | 28,385 | $115,600 | 12.4 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,381 | $55,040 | 8.1 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,597 | $55,254 | 8.6 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,882 | $84,996 | 12.4 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 2,082 | $95,599 | 15.4 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,992 | $114,066 | 15.4 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,940 | $140,441 | 15.1 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 1,908 | $69,817 | 13.2 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,870 | $86,729 | 13.4 yrs |
| Ecology | 1,260 | $118,786 | 14.3 yrs |
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
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 occupation-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.