Practical Nurse

What the Numbers Say About Practical Nurse

Federal agencies employ 17,743 people in the Practical Nurse occupation (OPM code 620), accounting for 0.8% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -2.4% versus the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.

The average salary for Practical Nurse is $73,105 per year, placing it 33.5% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.4% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 9.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 6) groups Practical Nurse together with 44 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Practical Nurse postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Practical Nurse ranks #5 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 5.0% of the family's combined 356,984 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (27th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.