Instructional Systems

What the Numbers Say About Instructional Systems

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 2,431 people work in the Instructional Systems occupation (OPM code 1750) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved up by 0.9% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Instructional Systems is $115,421 per year, placing it 5.1% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.0% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 11.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Instructional Systems sits inside the Education Group family (code 17), which contains 10 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Instructional Systems 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 Education Group family, Instructional Systems ranks #5 of 10 by headcount, accounting for 5.9% of the family's combined 41,420 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (60th percentile) of pay among Education Group occupations.