Computer Science
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Computer Science occupation series (code 1550), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 10,070 employees (0.5% of the federal civilian workforce), Computer Science ranks as a mid-sized federal occupation within the Mathematics and Statistics Group family, and headcount declined from the prior period. Its average salary of $158,879 pays well above the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -1.6%
- Pay change
- +0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 11 yrs
- Rank in family
- #1 of 11
FedScope read on Computer Science (dense series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved down 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.
Computer Science sits inside the Mathematics and Statistics Group family (code 15), which contains 11 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Computer Science postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Mathematics and Statistics Group family. The Mathematics and Statistics Group family totals 22,044 employees, and Computer Science accounts for 45.7% of them. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (45th percentile) of pay among Mathematics and Statistics Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Computer Science pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$158,879
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+35.4%
Where Computer Science ranks on rich federal pay
Computer Science earns more on average than 93% of federal occupation series (505 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Computer Science sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Computer Science.
Related Occupations in Mathematics and Statistics Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Research | 4,562 | $162,234 | 14.2 yrs |
| Statistics | 2,962 | $140,330 | 14.3 yrs |
| Mathematical Statistics | 1,332 | $159,420 | 14.3 yrs |
| Data Science Series | 1,092 | $146,079 | 8 yrs |
| Mathematics | 979 | $177,549 | 13.2 yrs |
| Mathematics and Statistics Student Trainee | 372 | $47,225 | 0.9 yrs |
| Statistical Assistant | 336 | $52,435 | 15.2 yrs |
| Actuarial Science | 233 | $167,765 | 17.4 yrs |
| General Mathematics and Statistics | 105 | $211,381 | 16.3 yrs |
| Cryptanalysis | 1 | $158,322 | 29.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Computer Science outside the Mathematics and Statistics 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 (10,070 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($158,879 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Computer Science pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Mathematics and Statistics Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Computer Science postings on USAJOBS.
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.