Laboratory Working
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Laboratory Working occupation series (code 3511).
The verdict
Laboratory Working is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 23 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the General Services and Support Work Family family. At an average salary of $50,290 it pays below the federal average of $117,339.
- Employees
- 23
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $50,290
- Avg tenure
- 10.5 yrs
FedScope read on Laboratory Working (thin series)
Federal agencies employ 23 people in the Laboratory Working occupation (OPM code 3511), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved sideways by 0.0% 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.
Laboratory Working pays $50,290 per year on average, moving up 1.1% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 10.5 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Laboratory Working sits inside the General Services and Support Work Family family (code 35), which contains 5 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Laboratory Working postings should also review these sibling occupations in the General Services and Support Work Family family.
Within the General Services and Support Work Family family, Laboratory Working ranks #4 of 5 by headcount, accounting for 0.2% of the family's combined 14,196 employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Laboratory Working pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$50,290
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-57.1%
Where Laboratory Working ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $50,290 is higher than 6% of federal occupation series (32 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Laboratory Working sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Laboratory Working ranks higher than 6%.
Related Occupations in General Services and Support Work Family
4 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custodial Working | 12,122 | $47,108 | 8.9 yrs |
| Laboring | 1,663 | $48,277 | 6.3 yrs |
| Misc General Services and Support Work | 371 | $51,243 | 6 yrs |
| Railroad Repairing | 17 | n/a | 4.8 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Laboratory Working outside the General Services and Support Work Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (23 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($50,290 here).
Key takeaways
- Laboratory Working pays below the federal average by 57.1% ($50,290 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 6th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 23 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Laboratory Working ranks #597 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the General Services and Support Work Family family, Laboratory Working ranks #4 of 5 by headcount, accounting for 0.2% of the family's combined 14,196 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.