Food Inspection

What the Numbers Say About Food Inspection

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Food Inspection occupation (OPM code 1863): 792 people, headcount down -23.5% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Food Inspection pays $57,353 per year on average, 47.8% below the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 4.8% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 8 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, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Inside the Investigation Group family (20 occupations, 211,925 employees combined), Food Inspection holds the #13 spot by headcount, a 0.4% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (5th percentile) of pay among Investigation Group occupations.