Fish Biology
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Fish Biology occupation series (code 0482): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Fish Biology is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 1,629 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Biological Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $116,550 it pays near the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 0.4% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 1,629
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $116,550
- Avg tenure
- 16.2 yrs
FedScope read on Fish Biology (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 1,629 people in the Fish Biology occupation (OPM code 0482), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 0.4% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Fish Biology pays $116,550 per year on average, moving up 0.1% 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 16.2 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Fish Biology sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 04), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Fish Biology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Fish Biology ranks #7 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 2.4% of the family's combined 67,961 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (55th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Fish Biology pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$116,550
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-0.7%
Where Fish Biology ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $116,550 is higher than 65% of federal occupation series (351 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Fish Biology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Fish Biology ranks higher than 65%.
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 | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,629 | $143,306 | 16.3 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
| Rangeland Management | 692 | $88,317 | 14.6 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Fish Biology outside the Biological Sciences 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 (1,629 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($116,550 here).
Key takeaways
- Fish Biology pays near the federal average by 0.7% ($116,550 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 65th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 1,629 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.4% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Fish Biology ranks #167 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Fish Biology ranks #7 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 2.4% of the family's combined 67,961 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.