Investigative Analysis

What the Numbers Say About Investigative Analysis

Federal agencies employ 2,398 people in the Investigative Analysis occupation (OPM code 1805), 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 up by 50.3% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Investigative Analysis pays $113,302 per year on average, 3.1% above the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 12.7% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 14.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Investigation Group family (code 18) groups Investigative Analysis together with 19 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Investigative Analysis 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.

Investigative Analysis makes up 1.1% of the 211,925 employees across the Investigation Group family, ranking #9 of 20 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (55th percentile) of pay among Investigation Group occupations.