Operations Research
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Operations Research occupation series (code 1515): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 4,562 employees (0.2% of the federal civilian workforce), Operations Research ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Mathematics and Statistics Group family, and headcount declined from the prior period. Its average salary of $162,234 pays well above the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -7.4%
- Pay change
- -0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 14.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 11
FedScope read on Operations Research (dense series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The Mathematics and Statistics Group family (code 15) groups Operations Research together with 10 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Operations Research postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Mathematics and Statistics Group family. The Mathematics and Statistics Group family totals 22,044 employees, and Operations Research accounts for 20.7% of them. Its average salary ranks in the top half (64th percentile) of pay among Mathematics and Statistics Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Operations Research pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$162,234
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+38.3%
Where Operations Research ranks on rich federal pay
Operations Research earns more on average than 95% of federal occupation series (513 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Operations Research sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Operations Research.
Related Occupations in Mathematics and Statistics Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 10,070 | $158,879 | 11 yrs |
| Statistics | 2,962 | $140,330 | 14.3 yrs |
| Mathematical Statistics | 1,332 | $159,420 | 14.3 yrs |
| Data Science Series | 1,092 | $146,079 | 8 yrs |
| Mathematics | 979 | $177,549 | 13.2 yrs |
| Mathematics and Statistics Student Trainee | 372 | $47,225 | 0.9 yrs |
| Statistical Assistant | 336 | $52,435 | 15.2 yrs |
| Actuarial Science | 233 | $167,765 | 17.4 yrs |
| General Mathematics and Statistics | 105 | $211,381 | 16.3 yrs |
| Cryptanalysis | 1 | $158,322 | 29.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Operations Research outside the Mathematics and Statistics 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 (4,562 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($162,234 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Operations Research 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 Mathematics and Statistics Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Operations Research 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.