Food Inspection
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Food Inspection occupation series (code 1863), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Investigation Group family, Food Inspection counts 363 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 6.4% from the prior period; pay averages $60,647, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 363
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $60,647
- Avg tenure
- 12.4 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Food Inspection
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Food Inspection occupation (OPM code 1863): 363 people, headcount down -6.4% versus 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.
Food Inspection pays $60,647 per year on average, moving up 0.6% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 12.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 18, the Investigation Group family, is where the federal government classifies Food Inspection alongside 19 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Food Inspection postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Investigation Group family.
Inside the Investigation Group family (20 occupations, 209,389 employees combined), Food Inspection holds the #17 spot by headcount, a 0.2% share of the family total.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Food Inspection pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$60,647
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-48.3%
Where Food Inspection ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $60,647 is higher than 15% of federal occupation series (81 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Food Inspection sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Food Inspection ranks higher than 15%.
Related Occupations in Investigation Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance Inspection and Support | 53,444 | n/a | 9.8 yrs |
| Criminal Investigation | 44,633 | n/a | 14.5 yrs |
| General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, and Compliance Series | 44,491 | n/a | 14.8 yrs |
| Customs and Border Protection | 27,421 | n/a | 14.7 yrs |
| Border Patrol Enforcement Series | 21,781 | n/a | 13.3 yrs |
| Consumer Safety Inspection | 5,242 | $74,073 | 15.3 yrs |
| Aviation Safety | 4,206 | $143,216 | 15 yrs |
| Investigative Analysis | 2,129 | n/a | 15.9 yrs |
| Import Compliance Series | 1,104 | $126,314 | 16.5 yrs |
| Wage and Hour Investigation Series | 885 | $120,994 | 17.1 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Food Inspection outside the Investigation Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (363 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($60,647 here).
Key takeaways
- Food Inspection pays below the federal average by 48.3% ($60,647 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 15th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 363 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 6.4% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Food Inspection ranks #338 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Investigation Group family (20 occupations, 209,389 employees combined), Food Inspection holds the #17 spot by headcount, a 0.2% 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.