Laboratory Working

What the Numbers Say About Laboratory Working

Federal agencies employ 22 people in the Laboratory Working occupation (OPM code 3511), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -4.3% 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 $49,220 per year on average, 55.2% below the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving down -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 14.4 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, 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 General Services and Support Work Family family, Laboratory Working ranks #4 of 5 by headcount, accounting for 0.2% of the family's combined 14,646 employees.