Foreign Affairs
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Foreign Affairs occupation series (code 0130): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, Foreign Affairs counts 2,748 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 2.0% from the prior period; pay averages $155,920, which pays well above the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 2,748
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $155,920
- Avg tenure
- 14.4 yrs
FedScope read on Foreign Affairs (dense series)
0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Foreign Affairs occupation (OPM code 0130): 2,748 people, headcount down -2.0% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Average tenure in Foreign Affairs runs 14.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $155,920 per year, up 0.3% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01) groups Foreign Affairs together with 28 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Foreign Affairs postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family.
Inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (29 occupations, 101,196 employees combined), Foreign Affairs holds the #7 spot by headcount, a 2.7% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the top half (85th percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Foreign Affairs pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$155,920
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+32.9%
Where Foreign Affairs ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $155,920 is higher than 91% of federal occupation series (493 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Foreign Affairs sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Foreign Affairs ranks higher than 91%.
Related Occupations in Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Insurance Administration | 24,044 | $105,855 | 17.7 yrs |
| Social Work | 22,339 | $112,147 | 10 yrs |
| Social Science | 13,513 | $109,039 | 11.8 yrs |
| Intelligence | 12,860 | n/a | 15 yrs |
| Psychology | 10,259 | $144,240 | 10.7 yrs |
| Economist | 3,774 | $158,425 | 14.1 yrs |
| Health Insurance Administration | 2,443 | $149,476 | 15.3 yrs |
| Social Science Aid and Technician | 1,534 | $67,632 | 12.4 yrs |
| Archeology | 1,448 | $91,675 | 12 yrs |
| Social Services Aid and Assistant | 962 | $59,911 | 11.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Foreign Affairs outside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare 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 (2,748 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($155,920 here).
Key takeaways
- Foreign Affairs pays well above the federal average by 32.9% ($155,920 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 91st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 2,748 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 2.0% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Foreign Affairs ranks #132 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (29 occupations, 101,196 employees combined), Foreign Affairs holds the #7 spot by headcount, a 2.7% 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.