Botany
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Botany occupation series (code 0430): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Biological Sciences Group family, Botany counts 278 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period; pay averages $95,628, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 278
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $95,628
- Avg tenure
- 15 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Botany
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Botany occupation (OPM code 0430): 278 people, headcount down -0.7% 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.
Botany pays $95,628 per year on average, moving up 0.3% 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 15 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Botany sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 04), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Botany postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Botany makes up 0.4% of the 67,961 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #21 of 31 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary Context
How Botany pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$95,628
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-18.5%
Where Botany ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $95,628 is higher than 51% of federal occupation series (274 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Botany sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Botany ranks higher than 51%.
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 occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Botany outside the Biological Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (278 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($95,628 here).
Key takeaways
- Botany pays below the federal average by 18.5% ($95,628 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 51st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 278 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Botany ranks #373 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Botany makes up 0.4% of the 67,961 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #21 of 31 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.