Explosives Safety
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Explosives Safety occupation series (code 0017), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 432 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Explosives Safety ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, and headcount declined 0.9% from the prior period. Its average salary of $140,653 pays above the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 432
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $140,653
- Avg tenure
- 15.3 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Explosives Safety
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 432 people work in the Explosives Safety occupation (OPM code 0017) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.9% from the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.
Explosives Safety pays $140,653 per year on average, moving 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). Employees in this role stay an average of 15.3 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
The Miscellaneous Occupations Group family (code 00) groups Explosives Safety together with 26 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Explosives Safety postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family.
Inside the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family (27 occupations, 92,278 employees combined), Explosives Safety holds the #15 spot by headcount, a 0.5% share of the family total.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Explosives Safety pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$140,653
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+19.9%
Where Explosives Safety ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $140,653 is higher than 83% of federal occupation series (447 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Explosives Safety sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Explosives Safety ranks higher than 83%.
Related Occupations in Miscellaneous Occupations Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security Administration | 15,507 | $125,293 | 15.4 yrs |
| Correctional Officer | 14,821 | n/a | 10.3 yrs |
| Police | 11,883 | n/a | 12.2 yrs |
| Emergency Management Specialist | 11,832 | $100,833 | 9.7 yrs |
| Fire Protection and Prevention | 8,848 | $74,762 | 14.6 yrs |
| Safety and Occupational Health Management | 5,704 | $117,177 | 16.3 yrs |
| Park Ranger | 5,202 | $75,210 | 10.6 yrs |
| Security Guard | 4,312 | $57,464 | 11.3 yrs |
| Environmental Protection Specialist | 4,157 | $127,481 | 15.2 yrs |
| Security Clerical and Assistance | 3,340 | $65,477 | 12.7 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Explosives Safety outside the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (432 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($140,653 here).
Key takeaways
- Explosives Safety pays above the federal average by 19.9% ($140,653 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 83rd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 432 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.9% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Explosives Safety ranks #306 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family (27 occupations, 92,278 employees combined), Explosives Safety holds the #15 spot by headcount, a 0.5% share of the family total.
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.