History
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the History occupation series (code 0170).
The verdict
History is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 614 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family. At an average salary of $127,361 it pays above the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 8.9% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 614
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $127,361
- Avg tenure
- 15.5 yrs
What the Numbers Say About History
Federal agencies employ 614 people in the History occupation (OPM code 0170), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -8.9% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
History pays $127,361 per year on average, moving down -0.6% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 15.5 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
History sits inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01), which contains 29 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for History postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family.
History makes up 0.6% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #14 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (52nd percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How History pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$127,361
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+8.5%
Where History ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $127,361 is higher than 73% of federal occupation series (395 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where History sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; History ranks higher than 73%.
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 |
| Foreign Affairs | 2,748 | $155,920 | 14.4 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 |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for History outside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (614 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($127,361 here).
Key takeaways
- History pays above the federal average by 8.5% ($127,361 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 73rd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 614 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 8.9% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, History ranks #270 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- History makes up 0.6% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #14 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
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.