Fire Protection and Prevention
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Fire Protection and Prevention occupation series (code 0081).
The verdict
With 8,848 employees (0.5% of the federal civilian workforce), Fire Protection and Prevention ranks as a mid-sized federal occupation within the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, and headcount declined 1.7% from the prior period. Its average salary of $74,762 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 8,848
- Share of workforce
- 0.5%
- Avg salary
- $74,762
- Avg tenure
- 14.6 yrs
FedScope read on Fire Protection and Prevention (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 8,848 people work in the Fire Protection and Prevention occupation (OPM code 0081) across federal agencies, 0.5% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -1.7% from 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.
Fire Protection and Prevention pays $74,762 per year on average, moving up 0.3% 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 14.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Fire Protection and Prevention sits inside the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family (code 00), which contains 27 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Fire Protection and Prevention postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family.
Fire Protection and Prevention makes up 9.6% of the 92,278 employees across the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, ranking #5 of 27 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (29th percentile) of pay among Miscellaneous Occupations Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Fire Protection and Prevention pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$74,762
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-36.3%
Where Fire Protection and Prevention ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $74,762 is higher than 31% of federal occupation series (168 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Fire Protection and Prevention sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Fire Protection and Prevention ranks higher than 31%.
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 |
| 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 |
| Correctional Institution Administration | 1,677 | $122,358 | 19.4 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Fire Protection and Prevention outside the Miscellaneous Occupations 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 (8,848 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($74,762 here).
Key takeaways
- Fire Protection and Prevention pays below the federal average by 36.3% ($74,762 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 31st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A mid-sized federal occupation by headcount: 8,848 employees, 0.5% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Fire Protection and Prevention ranks #52 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Fire Protection and Prevention makes up 9.6% of the 92,278 employees across the Miscellaneous Occupations Group family, ranking #5 of 27 occupations in that family by headcount.
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.