Physics
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Physics occupation series (code 1310), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Physical Sciences Group family, Physics counts 2,009 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined from the prior period; pay averages $174,005, which pays well above the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -1.2%
- Pay change
- -0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 15.9 yrs
- Rank in family
- #4 of 25
FedScope read on Physics (dense series)
For job seekers weighing career length: this series shows a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. As for pay, the latest move was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Code 13, the Physical Sciences Group family, is where the federal government classifies Physics alongside 24 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Physics postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Physical Sciences Group family. The Physical Sciences Group family totals 26,960 employees, and Physics accounts for 7.5% of them. Its average salary ranks in the top half (92nd percentile) of pay among Physical Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Physics pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$174,005
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+48.3%
Where Physics ranks on rich federal pay
Physics earns more on average than 97% of federal occupation series (523 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Physics sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Physics.
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 |
| Physical Science Technician | 1,577 | $78,820 | 13.3 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 Physics 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 (2,009 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($174,005 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Physics 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 Physics 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.