Military Pay

What the Numbers Say About Military Pay

0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Military Pay occupation (OPM code 545): 1,456 people, headcount down -1.4% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Average tenure in Military Pay runs 9.2 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $56,500 per year, 48.6% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.6% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

The Accounting and Budget Group family (code 5) groups Military Pay together with 17 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Military Pay 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 Accounting and Budget Group family (18 occupations, 124,386 employees combined), Military Pay holds the #10 spot by headcount, a 1.2% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (28th percentile) of pay among Accounting and Budget Group occupations.