Genetics

What the Numbers Say About Genetics

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Genetics occupation (OPM code 440): 485 people, headcount up 2.5% 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.

Average tenure in Genetics runs 14 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $136,261 per year, 24.0% above the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.4% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

Genetics sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 4), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Genetics 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.

Genetics makes up 0.7% of the 69,668 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #16 of 31 occupations in that family by headcount.