Quality Assurance
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Quality Assurance occupation series (code 1910): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 4,964 employees (0.3% of the federal civilian workforce), Quality Assurance ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, and headcount declined 42.3% from the prior period. Its average salary of $119,613 pays near the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 4,964
- Share of workforce
- 0.3%
- Avg salary
- $119,613
- Avg tenure
- 16.9 yrs
FedScope read on Quality Assurance (dense series)
0.3% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Quality Assurance occupation (OPM code 1910): 4,964 people, headcount down -42.3% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Average tenure in Quality Assurance runs 16.9 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Pay averages $119,613 per year, up 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.
Code 19, the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, is where the federal government classifies Quality Assurance alongside 2 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Quality Assurance postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family.
Within the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, Quality Assurance is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 68.4% of the family's combined 7,261 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (67th percentile) of pay among Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Quality Assurance pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$119,613
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+1.9%
Where Quality Assurance ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $119,613 is higher than 67% of federal occupation series (363 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Quality Assurance sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Quality Assurance ranks higher than 67%.
Related Occupations in Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group
2 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Commodity Grading | 1,562 | $69,487 | 11.4 yrs |
| Agricultural Commodity Aid | 735 | $38,048 | 5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Quality Assurance outside the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading 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 (4,964 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($119,613 here).
Key takeaways
- Quality Assurance pays near the federal average by 1.9% ($119,613 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 67th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 4,964 employees, 0.3% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 42.3% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Quality Assurance ranks #89 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading Group family, Quality Assurance is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 68.4% of the family's combined 7,261 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.