Meteorology

What the Numbers Say About Meteorology

0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Meteorology occupation (OPM code 1340): 2,727 people, headcount down -2.4% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Meteorology pays $123,622 per year on average, 12.5% above the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 1.9% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 15.9 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.

Meteorology sits inside the Physical Sciences Group family (code 13), which contains 25 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Meteorology 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 Physical Sciences Group family (25 occupations, 32,337 employees combined), Meteorology holds the #3 spot by headcount, a 8.4% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (40th percentile) of pay among Physical Sciences Group occupations.