Customs and Border Protection
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Customs and Border Protection occupation series (code 1895), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 27,421 employees (1.4% of the federal civilian workforce), Customs and Border Protection ranks as a major federal occupation within the Investigation Group family, and headcount grew 0.6% from the prior period. Its average salary of n/a pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 27,421
- Share of workforce
- 1.4%
- Avg salary
- n/a
- Avg tenure
- 14.7 yrs
FedScope read on Customs and Border Protection (dense series)
1.4% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Customs and Border Protection occupation (OPM code 1895): 27,421 people, headcount up 0.6% 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 Customs and Border Protection runs 14.7 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages n/a per year, down 0.0% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Investigation Group family (code 18) groups Customs and Border Protection together with 19 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Customs and Border Protection postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Investigation Group family.
Within the Investigation Group family, Customs and Border Protection ranks #4 of 20 by headcount, accounting for 13.1% of the family's combined 209,389 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (0th percentile) of pay among Investigation Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Customs and Border Protection pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
n/a
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-100.0%
Where Customs and Border Protection ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of n/a is higher than 0% of federal occupation series (0 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Customs and Border Protection sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Customs and Border Protection ranks higher than 0%.
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 |
| Criminal Investigation | 44,633 | n/a | 14.5 yrs |
| General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, and Compliance Series | 44,491 | n/a | 14.8 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 Customs and Border Protection 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 (27,421 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families (n/a here).
Key takeaways
- Customs and Border Protection pays below the federal average by 100.0% (n/a vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 0th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A major federal occupation by headcount: 27,421 employees, 1.4% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.6% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Customs and Border Protection ranks #16 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Investigation Group family, Customs and Border Protection ranks #4 of 20 by headcount, accounting for 13.1% of the family's combined 209,389 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.