Hydrology
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (March 2025), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Hydrology occupation series (code 1315).
The verdict
Hydrology is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 1,903 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Physical Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $114,328 it pays near the federal average of $109,869, and headcount declined 1.6% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 1,903
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $114,328
- Avg tenure
- 16.6 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Hydrology
Federal agencies employ 1,903 people in the Hydrology occupation (OPM code 1315), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -1.6% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Average tenure in Hydrology runs 16.6 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Pay averages $114,328 per year, 4.1% above the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.3% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.
Code 13, the Physical Sciences Group family, is where the federal government classifies Hydrology alongside 24 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Hydrology 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.
Within the Physical Sciences Group family, Hydrology ranks #5 of 25 by headcount, accounting for 5.9% of the family's combined 32,337 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (28th percentile) of pay among Physical Sciences Group occupations.
Employees
1,903
-1.6% from prior period
Average Salary
$114,328
+2.3%
Avg Length of Service
16.6 yrs
Occupation Family
Physical Sciences Group
Salary Context
How Hydrology pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Occupation Average
$114,328
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
+4.1%
Where Hydrology ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $114,328 is higher than 72% of federal occupation series (456 of 634). The highlighted bar marks where Hydrology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 634 federal occupation series; Hydrology ranks higher than 72%.
Related Occupations in Physical Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Physical Science | 10,323 | $138,591 | 12.6 yrs |
| Chemistry | 5,165 | $140,120 | 13.9 yrs |
| Meteorology | 2,727 | $123,622 | 15.9 yrs |
| Physics | 2,312 | $155,280 | 13.8 yrs |
| Physical Science Technician | 1,794 | $83,137 | 11.4 yrs |
| Hydrologic Technician | 1,636 | $71,877 | 11.5 yrs |
| Geology | 1,469 | $117,766 | 12.2 yrs |
| Health Physics | 888 | $130,197 | 14.1 yrs |
| Cartography | 579 | $114,969 | 14.7 yrs |
| Navigational Information | 504 | $144,773 | 15.7 yrs |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope occupation-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.