International Relations
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the International Relations occupation series (code 0131), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 334 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), International Relations ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, and headcount declined from the prior period. Its average salary of $158,321 pays well above the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -2.9%
- Pay change
- -0.2%
- Avg tenure
- 14.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #17 of 29
What the Numbers Say About International Relations
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved down 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 Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01) groups International Relations together with 28 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for International Relations postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family. Across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, 101,196 employees work in 29 occupations; International Relations is 0.3% of that headcount.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How International Relations pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$158,321
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+34.9%
Where International Relations ranks on rich federal pay
International Relations earns more on average than 92% of federal occupation series (500 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where International Relations sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks International Relations.
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 International Relations 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 (334 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($158,321 here).
Key takeaways
- Place International Relations pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family occupations in the table above, or search current International Relations postings on USAJOBS.
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.