Legal Instruments Examining
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Legal Instruments Examining occupation series (code 0963), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 1,261 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce), Legal Instruments Examining ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Legal and Kindred Group family, and headcount declined 1.7% from the prior period. Its average salary of $73,021 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 1,261
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $73,021
- Avg tenure
- 11.7 yrs
FedScope read on Legal Instruments Examining (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 1,261 people in the Legal Instruments Examining occupation (OPM code 0963), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -1.7% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Legal Instruments Examining pays $73,021 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 11.7 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 09, the Legal and Kindred Group family, is where the federal government classifies Legal Instruments Examining alongside 17 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Legal Instruments Examining postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Legal and Kindred Group family.
Within the Legal and Kindred Group family, Legal Instruments Examining ranks #9 of 18 by headcount, accounting for 1.1% of the family's combined 110,958 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (24th percentile) of pay among Legal and Kindred Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Legal Instruments Examining pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$73,021
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-37.8%
Where Legal Instruments Examining ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $73,021 is higher than 29% of federal occupation series (158 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Legal Instruments Examining sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Legal Instruments Examining ranks higher than 29%.
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 |
| Legal Assistance | 3,326 | $69,159 | 12.5 yrs |
| Hearings and Appeals | 3,231 | n/a | 15.9 yrs |
| Passport and Visa Examining | 2,035 | $92,682 | 11.3 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 Instruments Examining 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 (1,261 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($73,021 here).
Key takeaways
- Legal Instruments Examining pays below the federal average by 37.8% ($73,021 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 29th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 1,261 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Legal Instruments Examining ranks #191 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Legal and Kindred Group family, Legal Instruments Examining ranks #9 of 18 by headcount, accounting for 1.1% 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.