Pharmacology
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Pharmacology occupation series (code 0405).
The verdict
In the Biological Sciences Group family, Pharmacology counts 582 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined from the prior period; pay averages $187,111, which pays well above the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -1.7%
- Pay change
- +0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 14.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #13 of 31
What the Numbers Say About Pharmacology
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.
Pharmacology sits inside the Biological Sciences Group family (code 04), which contains 31 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Pharmacology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family. The Biological Sciences Group family totals 67,961 employees, and Pharmacology accounts for 0.9% of them. Its average salary ranks in the top half (97th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Pharmacology pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$187,111
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+59.5%
Where Pharmacology ranks on rich federal pay
Pharmacology earns more on average than 98% of federal occupation series (529 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Pharmacology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Pharmacology.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,629 | $116,550 | 16.2 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,629 | $143,306 | 16.3 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Pharmacology outside the Biological Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (582 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($187,111 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Pharmacology 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 Biological Sciences Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Pharmacology 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.