General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences occupation series (code 0401).
The verdict
In the Biological Sciences Group family, General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences counts 23,662 employees, a major federal occupation at 1.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period; pay averages $124,641, which pays near the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 23,662
- Share of workforce
- 1.2%
- Avg salary
- $124,641
- Avg tenure
- 14 yrs
FedScope read on General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 23,662 people work in the General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences occupation (OPM code 0401) across federal agencies, 1.2% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.5% from the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.
General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pays $124,641 per year on average, moving up 0.1% from the prior period (a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change). Employees in this role stay an average of 14 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 04), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Within the Biological Sciences Group family, General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 34.8% of the family's combined 67,961 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (61st percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$124,641
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+6.2%
Where General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $124,641 is higher than 71% of federal occupation series (384 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences ranks higher than 71%.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,629 | $116,550 | 16.2 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,629 | $143,306 | 16.3 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
| Rangeland Management | 692 | $88,317 | 14.6 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences outside the Biological Sciences 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 (23,662 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($124,641 here).
Key takeaways
- General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pays near the federal average by 6.2% ($124,641 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 71st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A major federal occupation by headcount: 23,662 employees, 1.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences ranks #20 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Biological Sciences Group family, General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 34.8% of the family's combined 67,961 employees.
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.