Psychology
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Psychology occupation series (code 0180).
The verdict
In the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, Psychology counts 10,259 employees, a mid-sized federal occupation at 0.5% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.9% from the prior period; pay averages $144,240, which pays above the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 10,259
- Share of workforce
- 0.5%
- Avg salary
- $144,240
- Avg tenure
- 10.7 yrs
FedScope read on Psychology (dense series)
0.5% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Psychology occupation (OPM code 0180): 10,259 people, headcount down -0.9% 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 Psychology is $144,240 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 10.7 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Psychology sits inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01), which contains 29 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Psychology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family.
Psychology makes up 10.1% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #5 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (74th percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Psychology pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$144,240
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+22.9%
Where Psychology ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $144,240 is higher than 85% of federal occupation series (459 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Psychology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Psychology ranks higher than 85%.
Related Occupations in Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Insurance Administration | 24,044 | $105,855 | 17.7 yrs |
| Social Work | 22,339 | $112,147 | 10 yrs |
| Social Science | 13,513 | $109,039 | 11.8 yrs |
| Intelligence | 12,860 | n/a | 15 yrs |
| Economist | 3,774 | $158,425 | 14.1 yrs |
| Foreign Affairs | 2,748 | $155,920 | 14.4 yrs |
| Health Insurance Administration | 2,443 | $149,476 | 15.3 yrs |
| Social Science Aid and Technician | 1,534 | $67,632 | 12.4 yrs |
| Archeology | 1,448 | $91,675 | 12 yrs |
| Social Services Aid and Assistant | 962 | $59,911 | 11.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Psychology outside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare 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 (10,259 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($144,240 here).
Key takeaways
- Psychology pays above the federal average by 22.9% ($144,240 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 85th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A mid-sized federal occupation by headcount: 10,259 employees, 0.5% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.9% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Psychology ranks #47 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Psychology makes up 10.1% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #5 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
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.