Plant Protection Technician
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Plant Protection Technician occupation series (code 0421), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Biological Sciences Group family, Plant Protection Technician counts 679 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.6% from the prior period; pay averages $45,370, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 679
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $45,370
- Avg tenure
- 7 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Plant Protection Technician
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 679 people work in the Plant Protection Technician occupation (OPM code 0421) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.6% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Plant Protection Technician is $45,370 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.0% 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 7 years, a comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce.
Code 04, the Biological Sciences Group family, is where the federal government classifies Plant Protection Technician alongside 30 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Plant Protection Technician postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Plant Protection Technician ranks #12 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 1.0% of the family's combined 67,961 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (3rd percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Plant Protection Technician pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$45,370
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-61.3%
Where Plant Protection Technician ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $45,370 is higher than 3% of federal occupation series (15 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Plant Protection Technician sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Plant Protection Technician ranks higher than 3%.
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 Protection Technician 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 (679 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($45,370 here).
Key takeaways
- Plant Protection Technician pays below the federal average by 61.3% ($45,370 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 3rd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 679 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.6% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Plant Protection Technician ranks #257 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Plant Protection Technician ranks #12 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 1.0% of the family's combined 67,961 employees.
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.