Recreation Specialist
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Recreation Specialist occupation series (code 0188), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, Recreation Specialist counts 913 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.3% from the prior period; pay averages $81,987, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 913
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $81,987
- Avg tenure
- 15.2 yrs
FedScope read on Recreation Specialist (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 913 people in the Recreation Specialist occupation (OPM code 0188), 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 down by -0.3% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Recreation Specialist pays $81,987 per year on average, moving down -0.1% from the prior period (a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change). Employees in this role stay an average of 15.2 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Recreation Specialist 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 Recreation Specialist postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family.
Recreation Specialist makes up 0.9% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #13 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (26th percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Recreation Specialist pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$81,987
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-30.1%
Where Recreation Specialist ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $81,987 is higher than 38% of federal occupation series (208 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Recreation Specialist sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Recreation Specialist ranks higher than 38%.
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 peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Recreation Specialist 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 (913 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($81,987 here).
Key takeaways
- Recreation Specialist pays below the federal average by 30.1% ($81,987 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 38th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 913 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.3% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Recreation Specialist ranks #220 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Recreation Specialist makes up 0.9% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #13 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.