Language Specialist
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Language Specialist occupation series (code 1040), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Information and Arts Group family, Language Specialist counts 864 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 2.3% from the prior period; pay averages $117,705, which pays near the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 864
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $117,705
- Avg tenure
- 11.8 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Language Specialist
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 864 people work in the Language Specialist occupation (OPM code 1040) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -2.3% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Language Specialist pays $117,705 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 11.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Language Specialist sits inside the Information and Arts Group family (code 10), which contains 19 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Language Specialist postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Information and Arts Group family.
Inside the Information and Arts Group family (19 occupations, 14,755 employees combined), Language Specialist holds the #4 spot by headcount, a 5.9% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the top half (61st percentile) of pay among Information and Arts Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Language Specialist pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$117,705
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+0.3%
Where Language Specialist ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $117,705 is higher than 66% of federal occupation series (356 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Language Specialist sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Language Specialist ranks higher than 66%.
Related Occupations in Information and Arts Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Affairs | 5,552 | $129,060 | 14.3 yrs |
| General Arts and Information | 2,759 | $126,733 | 14.5 yrs |
| Visual Information | 1,245 | $110,638 | 15.6 yrs |
| Technical Writing and Editing | 816 | $128,063 | 14.1 yrs |
| Writing and Editing | 760 | $138,055 | 15.2 yrs |
| Museum Specialist and Technician | 657 | $91,362 | 13.8 yrs |
| Audiovisual Production | 619 | $128,404 | 16 yrs |
| Museum Curator | 490 | $125,118 | 17.5 yrs |
| Interior Design | 355 | $105,579 | 11 yrs |
| Exhibits Specialist | 268 | $103,348 | 16.7 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Language Specialist outside the Information and Arts Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (864 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($117,705 here).
Key takeaways
- Language Specialist pays near the federal average by 0.3% ($117,705 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 66th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 864 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 2.3% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Language Specialist ranks #228 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Information and Arts Group family (19 occupations, 14,755 employees combined), Language Specialist holds the #4 spot by headcount, a 5.9% 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.