Nursing Assistant
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Nursing Assistant occupation series (code 0621).
The verdict
Nursing Assistant is a mid-sized federal occupation: 14,498 employees (0.7% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family. At an average salary of $55,851 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 0.1% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 14,498
- Share of workforce
- 0.7%
- Avg salary
- $55,851
- Avg tenure
- 7.8 yrs
FedScope read on Nursing Assistant (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 14,498 people in the Nursing Assistant occupation (OPM code 0621), accounting for 0.7% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 0.1% 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 Nursing Assistant is $55,851 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.0% 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 7.8 years, a comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce.
Code 06, the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, is where the federal government classifies Nursing Assistant alongside 44 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Nursing Assistant postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family.
Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Nursing Assistant ranks #7 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 4.3% of the family's combined 339,162 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (0th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Nursing Assistant pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$55,851
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-52.4%
Where Nursing Assistant ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $55,851 is higher than 10% of federal occupation series (52 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Nursing Assistant sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Nursing Assistant ranks higher than 10%.
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 |
| Medical Officer | 34,687 | $301,569 | 11.6 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 |
| 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 Nursing Assistant 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 (14,498 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($55,851 here).
Key takeaways
- Nursing Assistant pays below the federal average by 52.4% ($55,851 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 10th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A mid-sized federal occupation by headcount: 14,498 employees, 0.7% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.1% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Nursing Assistant ranks #32 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Nursing Assistant ranks #7 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 4.3% of the family's combined 339,162 employees.
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.