Patent Classifying

What the Numbers Say About Patent Classifying

Federal agencies employ 43 people in the Patent Classifying occupation (OPM code 1223), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -2.3% 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 Classifying is $186,949 per year, placing it 70.2% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.3% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 22.1 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 Classifying together with 4 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Patent Classifying 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.

Patent Classifying makes up 0.4% of the 10,875 employees across the Copyright, Patent, and Trademark Group family, ranking #5 of 5 occupations in that family by headcount.