Legal Assistance
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Legal Assistance occupation series (code 0986), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 3,326 employees (0.2% of the federal civilian workforce), Legal Assistance ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Legal and Kindred Group family, and headcount declined 1.0% from the prior period. Its average salary of $69,159 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 3,326
- Share of workforce
- 0.2%
- Avg salary
- $69,159
- Avg tenure
- 12.5 yrs
FedScope read on Legal Assistance (dense series)
0.2% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Legal Assistance occupation (OPM code 0986): 3,326 people, headcount down -1.0% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Average tenure in Legal Assistance runs 12.5 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $69,159 per year, up 0.2% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Legal and Kindred Group family (code 09) groups Legal Assistance together with 17 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Legal Assistance postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Legal and Kindred Group family.
Within the Legal and Kindred Group family, Legal Assistance ranks #6 of 18 by headcount, accounting for 3.0% of the family's combined 110,958 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (18th percentile) of pay among Legal and Kindred Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Legal Assistance pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$69,159
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-41.1%
Where Legal Assistance ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $69,159 is higher than 25% of federal occupation series (133 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Legal Assistance sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Legal Assistance ranks higher than 25%.
Related Occupations in Legal and Kindred Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Attorney | 35,986 | $177,921 | 13.6 yrs |
| Contact Representative | 29,201 | $64,454 | 9.3 yrs |
| Veterans Claims Examining | 18,099 | $92,511 | 13.3 yrs |
| General Legal and Kindred Administration | 8,711 | $82,876 | 12.3 yrs |
| Paralegal Specialist | 5,165 | $107,719 | 15.8 yrs |
| Hearings and Appeals | 3,231 | n/a | 15.9 yrs |
| Passport and Visa Examining | 2,035 | $92,682 | 11.3 yrs |
| Legal Instruments Examining | 1,261 | $73,021 | 11.7 yrs |
| Administrative Law Judge | 1,189 | $208,642 | 20.7 yrs |
| Claims Assistance and Examining | 925 | $67,330 | 18.9 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Legal Assistance outside the Legal and Kindred Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (3,326 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($69,159 here).
Key takeaways
- Legal Assistance pays below the federal average by 41.1% ($69,159 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 25th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 3,326 employees, 0.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.0% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Legal Assistance ranks #116 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Legal and Kindred Group family, Legal Assistance ranks #6 of 18 by headcount, accounting for 3.0% of the family's combined 110,958 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.