Horticulture
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Horticulture occupation series (code 0437): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 102 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Horticulture ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Biological Sciences Group family, and headcount declined 1.9% from the prior period. Its average salary of $109,640 pays near the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 102
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $109,640
- Avg tenure
- 15.5 yrs
FedScope read on Horticulture (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Horticulture occupation (OPM code 0437): 102 people, headcount down -1.9% 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.
The average salary for Horticulture is $109,640 per year. Salaries moved down by -0.2% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 15.5 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Horticulture sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 04), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Horticulture postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Horticulture makes up 0.2% of the 67,961 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #27 of 31 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary Context
How Horticulture pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$109,640
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-6.6%
Where Horticulture ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $109,640 is higher than 60% of federal occupation series (327 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Horticulture sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Horticulture ranks higher than 60%.
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 | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| 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 |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Horticulture outside the Biological Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (102 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($109,640 here).
Key takeaways
- Horticulture pays near the federal average by 6.6% ($109,640 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 60th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 102 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.9% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Horticulture ranks #474 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Horticulture makes up 0.2% of the 67,961 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #27 of 31 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.