Fire Protection Engineering
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Fire Protection Engineering occupation series (code 0804): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Engineering and Architecture Group family, Fire Protection Engineering counts 218 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 4.0% from the prior period; pay averages $159,793, which pays well above the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 218
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $159,793
- Avg tenure
- 15.4 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Fire Protection Engineering
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 218 people work in the Fire Protection Engineering occupation (OPM code 0804) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -4.0% 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.
Fire Protection Engineering pays $159,793 per year on average, moving up 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 15.4 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Code 08, the Engineering and Architecture Group family, is where the federal government classifies Fire Protection Engineering alongside 28 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Fire Protection Engineering postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Engineering and Architecture Group family.
Fire Protection Engineering makes up 0.2% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #27 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Fire Protection Engineering pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$159,793
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+36.2%
Where Fire Protection Engineering ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $159,793 is higher than 94% of federal occupation series (509 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Fire Protection Engineering sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Fire Protection Engineering ranks higher than 94%.
Related Occupations in Engineering and Architecture Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Engineering | 27,619 | $158,941 | 16.9 yrs |
| Engineering Technical | 14,443 | $93,062 | 15.2 yrs |
| Mechanical Engineering | 12,920 | $136,601 | 11.9 yrs |
| Electronics Engineering | 12,889 | $155,270 | 16.8 yrs |
| Civil Engineering | 10,260 | $124,230 | 14.7 yrs |
| Aerospace Engineering | 8,359 | $155,848 | 14.8 yrs |
| Electronics Technical | 7,298 | $103,713 | 15.6 yrs |
| Electrical Engineering | 5,231 | $142,419 | 13.5 yrs |
| Computer Engineering | 3,753 | $160,672 | 14.2 yrs |
| Nuclear Engineering | 2,813 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Fire Protection Engineering outside the Engineering and Architecture Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (218 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($159,793 here).
Key takeaways
- Fire Protection Engineering pays well above the federal average by 36.2% ($159,793 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 94th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 218 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 4.0% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Fire Protection Engineering ranks #400 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Fire Protection Engineering makes up 0.2% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #27 of 29 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.