Patent Attorney

What the Numbers Say About Patent Attorney

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Patent Attorney occupation (OPM code 1222): 482 people, headcount up 1.3% versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.

The average salary for Patent Attorney is $194,227 per year, placing it 76.8% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.0% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 15 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.

The Copyright, Patent, and Trademark Group family (code 12) groups Patent Attorney together with 4 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Patent Attorney 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 Copyright, Patent, and Trademark Group family (5 occupations, 10,875 employees combined), Patent Attorney holds the #2 spot by headcount, a 4.4% share of the family total.