Chemistry

What the Numbers Say About Chemistry

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 5,165 people work in the Chemistry occupation (OPM code 1320) across federal agencies, 0.2% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -2.9% from 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 Chemistry is $140,120 per year, placing it 27.5% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.3% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 13.9 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Physical Sciences Group family (code 13) groups Chemistry together with 24 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Chemistry 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.

Chemistry makes up 16.0% of the 32,337 employees across the Physical Sciences Group family, ranking #2 of 25 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (64th percentile) of pay among Physical Sciences Group occupations.