Geology
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Geology occupation series (code 1350): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 1,240 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce), Geology ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Physical Sciences Group family, and headcount edged up from the prior period. Its average salary of $124,746 pays near the federal average.
- Headcount change
- +0.2%
- Pay change
- +0.2%
- Avg tenure
- 14 yrs
- Rank in family
- #8 of 25
FedScope read on Geology (dense series)
For job seekers weighing career length: this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved up versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. 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 Geology together with 24 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Geology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Physical Sciences Group family. Geology makes up 4.6% of the Physical Sciences Group family's 26,960 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (38th percentile) of pay among Physical Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Geology pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$124,746
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+6.3%
Where Geology ranks on rich federal pay
Geology earns more on average than 71% of federal occupation series (385 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Geology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Geology.
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 |
| Health Physics | 746 | $146,649 | 16.4 yrs |
| Cartography | 487 | $120,890 | 16.3 yrs |
| Astronomy and Space Science | 416 | $177,819 | 18 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Geology outside the Physical 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 (1,240 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($124,746 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Geology 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 Geology 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.