Criminal Investigation
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Criminal Investigation occupation series (code 1811).
The verdict
With 44,633 employees (2.3% of the federal civilian workforce), Criminal Investigation ranks as a major federal occupation within the Investigation Group family, and headcount edged down from the prior period. Its average salary of n/a pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -0.7%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 14.5 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 20
FedScope read on Criminal Investigation (dense series)
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. Pay moved sideways between the two reporting periods, 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.
The Investigation Group family (code 18) groups Criminal Investigation together with 19 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Criminal Investigation postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Investigation Group family. Criminal Investigation makes up 21.3% of the Investigation Group family's 209,389 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (0th percentile) of pay among Investigation Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Criminal Investigation pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
n/a
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-100.0%
Where Criminal Investigation ranks on lean federal pay
Criminal Investigation earns more on average than 0% of federal occupation series (0 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Criminal Investigation sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Criminal Investigation.
Related Occupations in Investigation Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance Inspection and Support | 53,444 | n/a | 9.8 yrs |
| General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, and Compliance Series | 44,491 | n/a | 14.8 yrs |
| Customs and Border Protection | 27,421 | n/a | 14.7 yrs |
| Border Patrol Enforcement Series | 21,781 | n/a | 13.3 yrs |
| Consumer Safety Inspection | 5,242 | $74,073 | 15.3 yrs |
| Aviation Safety | 4,206 | $143,216 | 15 yrs |
| Investigative Analysis | 2,129 | n/a | 15.9 yrs |
| Import Compliance Series | 1,104 | $126,314 | 16.5 yrs |
| Wage and Hour Investigation Series | 885 | $120,994 | 17.1 yrs |
| Mine Safety and Health Inspection Series | 875 | $112,306 | 13.2 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Criminal Investigation outside the Investigation 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 (44,633 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families (n/a here).
Key takeaways
- Place Criminal Investigation 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 Investigation Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Criminal Investigation 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.