Microbiology
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Microbiology occupation series (code 403), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
Microbiology is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 1,940 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Biological Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $140,441 it pays well above the federal average of $109,869, and headcount declined 2.3% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 1,940
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $140,441
- Avg tenure
- 15.1 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Microbiology
0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Microbiology occupation (OPM code 403): 1,940 people, headcount down -2.3% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Average tenure in Microbiology runs 15.1 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Pay averages $140,441 per year, 27.8% above the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.4% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.
The Biological Sciences Group family (code 4) groups Microbiology together with 30 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Microbiology 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.
Microbiology makes up 2.8% of the 69,668 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #7 of 31 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (84th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Employees
1,940
-2.3% from prior period
Average Salary
$140,441
+2.4%
Avg Length of Service
15.1 yrs
Occupation Family
Biological Sciences Group
Salary Context
How Microbiology pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Occupation Average
$140,441
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
+27.8%
Where Microbiology ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $140,441 is higher than 90% of federal occupation series (571 of 634). The highlighted bar marks where Microbiology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 634 federal occupation series; Microbiology ranks higher than 90%.
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 | 28,385 | $115,600 | 12.4 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,381 | $55,040 | 8.1 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,597 | $55,254 | 8.6 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,882 | $84,996 | 12.4 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 2,082 | $95,599 | 15.4 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,992 | $114,066 | 15.4 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 1,908 | $69,817 | 13.2 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,870 | $86,729 | 13.4 yrs |
| Ecology | 1,260 | $118,786 | 14.3 yrs |
| Plant Protection Technician | 847 | $44,760 | 6 yrs |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope occupation-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.