Ecology
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Ecology occupation series (code 408), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
In the Biological Sciences Group family, Ecology counts 1,260 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.3% from the prior period; pay averages $118,786, which pays above the federal-wide $109,869.
- Employees
- 1,260
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $118,786
- Avg tenure
- 14.3 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Ecology
As of the March 2025 reporting window, 1,260 people work in the Ecology occupation (OPM code 408) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.3% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Ecology is $118,786 per year, placing it 8.1% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.4% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 14.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Ecology sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 4), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Ecology 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.
Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Ecology ranks #10 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 1.8% of the family's combined 69,668 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (61st percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Employees
1,260
-0.3% from prior period
Average Salary
$118,786
+1.4%
Avg Length of Service
14.3 yrs
Occupation Family
Biological Sciences Group
Salary Context
How Ecology pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Occupation Average
$118,786
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
+8.1%
Where Ecology ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $118,786 is higher than 77% of federal occupation series (486 of 634). The highlighted bar marks where Ecology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 634 federal occupation series; Ecology ranks higher than 77%.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences | 28,385 | $115,600 | 12.4 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,381 | $55,040 | 8.1 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,597 | $55,254 | 8.6 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,882 | $84,996 | 12.4 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 2,082 | $95,599 | 15.4 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,992 | $114,066 | 15.4 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,940 | $140,441 | 15.1 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 1,908 | $69,817 | 13.2 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,870 | $86,729 | 13.4 yrs |
| Plant Protection Technician | 847 | $44,760 | 6 yrs |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope occupation-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.