Microbiology
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Microbiology occupation series (code 0403), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Microbiology is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 1,629 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Biological Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $143,306 it pays above the federal average, and headcount declined from the prior period.
- Headcount change
- -3.1%
- Pay change
- +0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 16.3 yrs
- Rank in family
- #7 of 31
FedScope read on Microbiology (dense series)
For job seekers weighing career length: this series shows a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. As for pay, the latest move was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Biological Sciences Group family (code 04) groups Microbiology together with 30 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Microbiology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family. Microbiology makes up 2.4% of the Biological Sciences Group family's 67,961 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (84th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Microbiology pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$143,306
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+22.1%
Where Microbiology ranks on rich federal pay
Microbiology earns more on average than 85% of federal occupation series (458 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Microbiology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Microbiology.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,629 | $116,550 | 16.2 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
| Rangeland Management | 692 | $88,317 | 14.6 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Microbiology outside the Biological Sciences 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 (1,629 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($143,306 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Microbiology 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 Biological Sciences Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Microbiology 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.