Plant Pathology
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Plant Pathology occupation series (code 0434): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Plant Pathology is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 199 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Biological Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $137,304 it pays above the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 199
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $137,304
- Avg tenure
- 15.4 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Plant Pathology
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Plant Pathology occupation (OPM code 0434): 199 people, headcount down -0.5% 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 Plant Pathology is $137,304 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.3% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 15.4 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
The Biological Sciences Group family (code 04) groups Plant Pathology together with 30 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Plant Pathology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Inside the Biological Sciences Group family (31 occupations, 67,961 employees combined), Plant Pathology holds the #24 spot by headcount, a 0.3% share of the family total.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Plant Pathology pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$137,304
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+17.0%
Where Plant Pathology ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $137,304 is higher than 81% of federal occupation series (436 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Plant Pathology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Plant Pathology ranks higher than 81%.
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 Plant Pathology 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 (199 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($137,304 here).
Key takeaways
- Plant Pathology pays above the federal average by 17.0% ($137,304 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 81st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 199 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Plant Pathology ranks #409 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Biological Sciences Group family (31 occupations, 67,961 employees combined), Plant Pathology holds the #24 spot by headcount, a 0.3% share of the family total.
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.