Biological Science Technician
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Biological Science Technician occupation series (code 0404), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Biological Sciences Group family, Biological Science Technician counts 5,212 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.3% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 3.8% from the prior period; pay averages $56,618, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 5,212
- Share of workforce
- 0.3%
- Avg salary
- $56,618
- Avg tenure
- 8.9 yrs
FedScope read on Biological Science Technician (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 5,212 people in the Biological Science Technician occupation (OPM code 0404), accounting for 0.3% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 3.8% versus the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.
The average salary for Biological Science Technician is $56,618 per year. Salaries moved down by -0.9% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 8.9 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Biological Science Technician sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 04), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Biological Science Technician postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Biological Science Technician ranks #4 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 7.7% of the family's combined 67,961 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (10th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Biological Science Technician pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$56,618
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-51.7%
Where Biological Science Technician ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $56,618 is higher than 11% of federal occupation series (57 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Biological Science Technician sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Biological Science Technician ranks higher than 11%.
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 |
| 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 |
| Rangeland Management | 692 | $88,317 | 14.6 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Biological Science Technician outside the Biological Sciences 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 (5,212 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($56,618 here).
Key takeaways
- Biological Science Technician pays below the federal average by 51.7% ($56,618 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 11th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 5,212 employees, 0.3% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 3.8% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Biological Science Technician ranks #81 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Biological Science Technician ranks #4 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 7.7% of the family's combined 67,961 employees.
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.