Chaplain
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Chaplain occupation series (code 0060), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, Chaplain counts 1,231 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce; pay averages $104,037, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 1,231
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $104,037
- Avg tenure
- 11.2 yrs
FedScope read on Chaplain (dense series)
0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Chaplain occupation (OPM code 0060): 1,231 people, headcount sideways 0.0% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Chaplain pays $104,037 per year on average, moving up 0.2% 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 11.2 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Chaplain sits inside the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family (code 00), which contains 27 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Chaplain postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family.
Within the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, Chaplain ranks #12 of 27 by headcount, accounting for 1.3% of the family's combined 92,278 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (57th percentile) of pay among Miscellaneous Occupations Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Chaplain pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$104,037
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-11.3%
Where Chaplain ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $104,037 is higher than 57% of federal occupation series (306 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Chaplain sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Chaplain ranks higher than 57%.
Related Occupations in Miscellaneous Occupations Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security Administration | 15,507 | $125,293 | 15.4 yrs |
| Correctional Officer | 14,821 | n/a | 10.3 yrs |
| Police | 11,883 | n/a | 12.2 yrs |
| Emergency Management Specialist | 11,832 | $100,833 | 9.7 yrs |
| Fire Protection and Prevention | 8,848 | $74,762 | 14.6 yrs |
| Safety and Occupational Health Management | 5,704 | $117,177 | 16.3 yrs |
| Park Ranger | 5,202 | $75,210 | 10.6 yrs |
| Security Guard | 4,312 | $57,464 | 11.3 yrs |
| Environmental Protection Specialist | 4,157 | $127,481 | 15.2 yrs |
| Security Clerical and Assistance | 3,340 | $65,477 | 12.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Chaplain outside the Miscellaneous Occupations 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 (1,231 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($104,037 here).
Key takeaways
- Chaplain pays below the federal average by 11.3% ($104,037 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 57th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 1,231 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Chaplain ranks #194 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, Chaplain ranks #12 of 27 by headcount, accounting for 1.3% of the family's combined 92,278 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.