Irrigation System Operation
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Irrigation System Operation occupation series (code 0459), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Irrigation System Operation is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 63 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Biological Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $54,438 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 1.6% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 63
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $54,438
- Avg tenure
- 14.6 yrs
FedScope read on Irrigation System Operation (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Irrigation System Operation occupation (OPM code 0459): 63 people, headcount down -1.6% 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.
Irrigation System Operation pays $54,438 per year on average, moving up 0.3% from the prior period (a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change). Employees in this role stay an average of 14.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Irrigation System Operation sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 04), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Irrigation System Operation postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Irrigation System Operation ranks #28 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 0.1% of the family's combined 67,961 employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Irrigation System Operation pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$54,438
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-53.6%
Where Irrigation System Operation ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $54,438 is higher than 8% of federal occupation series (44 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Irrigation System Operation sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Irrigation System Operation ranks higher than 8%.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,629 | $116,550 | 16.2 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,629 | $143,306 | 16.3 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Irrigation System Operation outside the Biological Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (63 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($54,438 here).
Key takeaways
- Irrigation System Operation pays below the federal average by 53.6% ($54,438 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 8th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 63 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.6% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Irrigation System Operation ranks #513 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Irrigation System Operation ranks #28 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 0.1% of the family's combined 67,961 employees.
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.