Recreation Aid and Assistant
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Recreation Aid and Assistant occupation series (code 0189): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Recreation Aid and Assistant is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 491 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family. At an average salary of $49,999 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 21.8% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 491
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $49,999
- Avg tenure
- 9.7 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Recreation Aid and Assistant
Federal agencies employ 491 people in the Recreation Aid and Assistant occupation (OPM code 0189), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 21.8% 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.
Recreation Aid and Assistant pays $49,999 per year on average, moving down -3.8% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 9.7 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
The Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01) groups Recreation Aid and Assistant together with 28 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Recreation Aid and Assistant postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family.
Recreation Aid and Assistant makes up 0.5% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #16 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Recreation Aid and Assistant pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$49,999
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-57.4%
Where Recreation Aid and Assistant ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $49,999 is higher than 6% of federal occupation series (31 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Recreation Aid and Assistant sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Recreation Aid and Assistant ranks higher than 6%.
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 |
| Psychology | 10,259 | $144,240 | 10.7 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 |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Recreation Aid and Assistant outside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (491 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($49,999 here).
Key takeaways
- Recreation Aid and Assistant pays below the federal average by 57.4% ($49,999 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 6th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 491 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 21.8% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Recreation Aid and Assistant ranks #293 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Recreation Aid and Assistant makes up 0.5% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #16 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.