Food Technology
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Food Technology occupation series (code 1382), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Physical Sciences Group family, Food Technology counts 87 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined from the prior period; pay averages $150,998, which pays well above the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -8.4%
- Pay change
- +0.5%
- Avg tenure
- 17.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #19 of 25
FedScope read on Food Technology (thin series)
For job seekers weighing career length: this series shows a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Headcount moved down 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. As for pay, the latest move was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Physical Sciences Group family (code 13) groups Food Technology together with 24 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Food Technology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Physical Sciences Group family. Food Technology makes up 0.3% of the Physical Sciences Group family's 26,960 combined employees.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Food Technology pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$150,998
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+28.7%
Where Food Technology ranks on rich federal pay
Food Technology earns more on average than 89% of federal occupation series (480 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Food Technology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Food Technology.
Related Occupations in Physical Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Physical Science | 8,297 | $145,078 | 14.6 yrs |
| Chemistry | 4,440 | $149,099 | 14.9 yrs |
| Meteorology | 2,494 | $123,942 | 15.9 yrs |
| Physics | 2,009 | $174,005 | 15.9 yrs |
| Physical Science Technician | 1,577 | $78,820 | 13.3 yrs |
| Hydrology | 1,524 | $116,486 | 17.1 yrs |
| Hydrologic Technician | 1,356 | $76,077 | 12.9 yrs |
| Geology | 1,240 | $124,746 | 14 yrs |
| Health Physics | 746 | $146,649 | 16.4 yrs |
| Cartography | 487 | $120,890 | 16.3 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Food Technology outside the Physical Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (87 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($150,998 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Food Technology pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Physical Sciences Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Food Technology postings on USAJOBS.
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.