Medical Officer
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Medical Officer occupation series (code 0602): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Medical Officer counts 34,687 employees, a major federal occupation at 1.8% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period; pay averages $301,569, which pays well above the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 34,687
- Share of workforce
- 1.8%
- Avg salary
- $301,569
- Avg tenure
- 11.6 yrs
FedScope read on Medical Officer (dense series)
1.8% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Medical Officer occupation (OPM code 0602): 34,687 people, headcount down -0.7% versus the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.
The average salary for Medical Officer is $301,569 per year. Salaries moved up by 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. Average length of service in this role is 11.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
The Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 06) groups Medical Officer together with 44 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Medical Officer postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family.
Inside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (45 occupations, 339,162 employees combined), Medical Officer holds the #3 spot by headcount, a 10.2% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the top half (98th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Medical Officer pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$301,569
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+157.0%
Where Medical Officer ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $301,569 is higher than 100% of federal occupation series (540 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Medical Officer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Medical Officer ranks higher than 100%.
Related Occupations in Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | 106,218 | $132,267 | 10.2 yrs |
| Medical Support Assistance | 39,856 | $58,279 | 8.2 yrs |
| General Health Science | 17,434 | $133,765 | 11.9 yrs |
| Practical Nurse | 16,755 | $75,898 | 10.4 yrs |
| Pharmacist | 14,529 | $167,390 | 11.1 yrs |
| Nursing Assistant | 14,498 | $55,851 | 7.8 yrs |
| Health Aid and Technician | 12,490 | $61,276 | 10.8 yrs |
| Health System Specialist | 7,966 | $110,534 | 15.9 yrs |
| Pharmacy Technician | 7,658 | $70,794 | 9.5 yrs |
| Medical Technologist | 6,123 | $117,456 | 12.2 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Medical Officer outside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health 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 (34,687 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($301,569 here).
Key takeaways
- Medical Officer pays well above the federal average by 157.0% ($301,569 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 100th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A major federal occupation by headcount: 34,687 employees, 1.8% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Medical Officer ranks #11 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (45 occupations, 339,162 employees combined), Medical Officer holds the #3 spot by headcount, a 10.2% 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.