Language Specialist

What the Numbers Say About Language Specialist

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 972 people work in the Language Specialist occupation (OPM code 1040) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -2.4% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Language Specialist pays $114,230 per year on average, 4.0% above the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 2.0% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 10.7 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 16 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Language Specialist 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.

Inside the Information and Arts Group family (16 occupations, 19,923 employees combined), Language Specialist holds the #6 spot by headcount, a 4.9% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the top half (56th percentile) of pay among Information and Arts Group occupations.