Physical Science Technician
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Physical Science Technician occupation series (code 1311), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Physical Sciences Group family, Physical Science Technician counts 1,577 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount edged up from the prior period; pay averages $78,820, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +0.3%
- Pay change
- -0.6%
- Avg tenure
- 13.3 yrs
- Rank in family
- #5 of 25
FedScope read on Physical Science Technician (dense series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. 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 up versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The Physical Sciences Group family (code 13) groups Physical Science Technician together with 24 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Physical Science Technician postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Physical Sciences Group family. The Physical Sciences Group family totals 26,960 employees, and Physical Science Technician accounts for 5.8% of them. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (13th percentile) of pay among Physical Sciences Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Physical Science Technician pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$78,820
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-32.8%
Where Physical Science Technician ranks on federal pay
Physical Science Technician earns more on average than 35% of federal occupation series (189 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Physical Science Technician sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Physical Science Technician.
Related Occupations in Physical Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Physical Science | 8,297 | $145,078 | 14.6 yrs |
| Chemistry | 4,440 | $149,099 | 14.9 yrs |
| Meteorology | 2,494 | $123,942 | 15.9 yrs |
| Physics | 2,009 | $174,005 | 15.9 yrs |
| Hydrology | 1,524 | $116,486 | 17.1 yrs |
| Hydrologic Technician | 1,356 | $76,077 | 12.9 yrs |
| Geology | 1,240 | $124,746 | 14 yrs |
| Health Physics | 746 | $146,649 | 16.4 yrs |
| Cartography | 487 | $120,890 | 16.3 yrs |
| Astronomy and Space Science | 416 | $177,819 | 18 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Physical Science Technician outside the Physical Sciences 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 (1,577 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($78,820 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Physical Science Technician 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 Physical Sciences Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Physical Science Technician 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.