Forestry
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (March 2025), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Forestry occupation series (code 460).
The verdict
With 1,870 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce), Forestry ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Biological Sciences Group family, and headcount declined 1.7% from the prior period. Its average salary of $86,729 pays below the $109,869 federal average.
- Employees
- 1,870
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $86,729
- Avg tenure
- 13.4 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Forestry
Federal agencies employ 1,870 people in the Forestry occupation (OPM code 460), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -1.7% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Forestry is $86,729 per year, placing it 21.1% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 3.0% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 13.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
The Biological Sciences Group family (code 4) groups Forestry together with 30 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Forestry 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 Biological Sciences Group family (31 occupations, 69,668 employees combined), Forestry holds the #9 spot by headcount, a 2.7% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (32nd percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Employees
1,870
-1.7% from prior period
Average Salary
$86,729
+3.0%
Avg Length of Service
13.4 yrs
Occupation Family
Biological Sciences Group
Salary Context
How Forestry pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Occupation Average
$86,729
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
-21.1%
Where Forestry ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $86,729 is higher than 51% of federal occupation series (323 of 634). The highlighted bar marks where Forestry sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 634 federal occupation series; Forestry ranks higher than 51%.
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 | 28,385 | $115,600 | 12.4 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,381 | $55,040 | 8.1 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,597 | $55,254 | 8.6 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,882 | $84,996 | 12.4 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 2,082 | $95,599 | 15.4 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,992 | $114,066 | 15.4 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,940 | $140,441 | 15.1 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 1,908 | $69,817 | 13.2 yrs |
| Ecology | 1,260 | $118,786 | 14.3 yrs |
| Plant Protection Technician | 847 | $44,760 | 6 yrs |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope occupation-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.