Mathematics
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Mathematics occupation series (code 1520): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Mathematics and Statistics Group family, Mathematics counts 979 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount edged down from the prior period; pay averages $177,549, which pays well above the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -0.7%
- Pay change
- +0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 13.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #6 of 11
FedScope read on Mathematics (dense series)
Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. Pay moved up between the two reporting periods, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
The Mathematics and Statistics Group family (code 15) groups Mathematics together with 10 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Mathematics postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Mathematics and Statistics Group family. Mathematics makes up 4.4% of the Mathematics and Statistics Group family's 22,044 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (82nd percentile) of pay among Mathematics and Statistics Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Mathematics pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$177,549
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+51.3%
Where Mathematics ranks on rich federal pay
Mathematics earns more on average than 97% of federal occupation series (525 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Mathematics sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Mathematics.
Related Occupations in Mathematics and Statistics Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 10,070 | $158,879 | 11 yrs |
| Operations Research | 4,562 | $162,234 | 14.2 yrs |
| Statistics | 2,962 | $140,330 | 14.3 yrs |
| Mathematical Statistics | 1,332 | $159,420 | 14.3 yrs |
| Data Science Series | 1,092 | $146,079 | 8 yrs |
| Mathematics and Statistics Student Trainee | 372 | $47,225 | 0.9 yrs |
| Statistical Assistant | 336 | $52,435 | 15.2 yrs |
| Actuarial Science | 233 | $167,765 | 17.4 yrs |
| General Mathematics and Statistics | 105 | $211,381 | 16.3 yrs |
| Cryptanalysis | 1 | $158,322 | 29.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Mathematics outside the Mathematics and Statistics 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 (979 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($177,549 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Mathematics pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Mathematics and Statistics Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Mathematics postings on USAJOBS.
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.