Contracting
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Contracting occupation series (code 1102).
The verdict
In the Business and Industry Group family, Contracting counts 30,323 employees, a major federal occupation at 1.6% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 19.2% from the prior period; pay averages $132,449, which pays above the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 30,323
- Share of workforce
- 1.6%
- Avg salary
- $132,449
- Avg tenure
- 14.4 yrs
FedScope read on Contracting (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 30,323 people in the Contracting occupation (OPM code 1102), accounting for 1.6% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -19.2% 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.
Average tenure in Contracting runs 14.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $132,449 per year, up 0.1% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Business and Industry Group family (code 11) groups Contracting together with 24 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Contracting postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Business and Industry Group family.
Within the Business and Industry Group family, Contracting is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 36.1% of the family's combined 83,993 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (74th percentile) of pay among Business and Industry Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Contracting pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$132,449
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+12.9%
Where Contracting ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $132,449 is higher than 77% of federal occupation series (416 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Contracting sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Contracting ranks higher than 77%.
Related Occupations in Business and Industry Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Business and Industry | 25,675 | $123,489 | 14.9 yrs |
| Production Control | 5,015 | $99,508 | 14.6 yrs |
| Loan Specialist | 3,952 | $95,452 | 12.7 yrs |
| Realty | 3,282 | $112,506 | 15.3 yrs |
| Grants Management | 3,042 | $129,704 | 14.5 yrs |
| Purchasing | 2,225 | $59,039 | 13.1 yrs |
| Internal Revenue Officer | 2,183 | n/a | 14.7 yrs |
| Housing Management | 1,724 | $91,096 | 12.5 yrs |
| Commissary Management | 1,174 | n/a | 19.2 yrs |
| Building Management | 986 | $122,043 | 16.3 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Contracting outside the Business and Industry 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 (30,323 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($132,449 here).
Key takeaways
- Contracting pays above the federal average by 12.9% ($132,449 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 77th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A major federal occupation by headcount: 30,323 employees, 1.6% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 19.2% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Contracting ranks #13 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Business and Industry Group family, Contracting is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 36.1% of the family's combined 83,993 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.