Land Surveying
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Land Surveying occupation series (code 1373): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Land Surveying is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 304 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Physical Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $108,106 it pays near the federal average of $117,339.
- Employees
- 304
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $108,106
- Avg tenure
- 15.8 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Land Surveying
Federal agencies employ 304 people in the Land Surveying occupation (OPM code 1373), 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.
Land Surveying pays $108,106 per year on average, moving down -0.1% 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 15.8 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Land Surveying sits inside the Physical Sciences Group family (code 13), which contains 25 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Land Surveying postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Physical Sciences Group family.
Inside the Physical Sciences Group family (25 occupations, 26,960 employees combined), Land Surveying holds the #16 spot by headcount, a 1.1% share of the family total.
Salary Context
How Land Surveying pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$108,106
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-7.9%
Where Land Surveying ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $108,106 is higher than 60% of federal occupation series (322 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Land Surveying sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Land Surveying ranks higher than 60%.
Related Occupations in Physical Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Physical Science | 8,297 | $145,078 | 14.6 yrs |
| Chemistry | 4,440 | $149,099 | 14.9 yrs |
| Meteorology | 2,494 | $123,942 | 15.9 yrs |
| Physics | 2,009 | $174,005 | 15.9 yrs |
| Physical Science Technician | 1,577 | $78,820 | 13.3 yrs |
| Hydrology | 1,524 | $116,486 | 17.1 yrs |
| Hydrologic Technician | 1,356 | $76,077 | 12.9 yrs |
| Geology | 1,240 | $124,746 | 14 yrs |
| Health Physics | 746 | $146,649 | 16.4 yrs |
| Cartography | 487 | $120,890 | 16.3 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Land Surveying outside the Physical Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (304 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($108,106 here).
Key takeaways
- Land Surveying pays near the federal average by 7.9% ($108,106 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 60th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 304 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Land Surveying ranks #364 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Physical Sciences Group family (25 occupations, 26,960 employees combined), Land Surveying holds the #16 spot by headcount, a 1.1% share of the family total.
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.