Human Resources Management

What the Numbers Say About Human Resources Management

Federal agencies employ 42,397 people in the Human Resources Management occupation (OPM code 201), accounting for 1.9% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 0.7% versus 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.

The average salary for Human Resources Management is $112,448 per year, placing it 2.3% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.6% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 14 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 2, the Human Resources Management Group family, is where the federal government classifies Human Resources Management alongside 5 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Human Resources Management 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.

Human Resources Management makes up 78.1% of the 54,281 employees across the Human Resources Management Group family, ranking #1 of 6 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (33rd percentile) of pay among Human Resources Management Group occupations.