Safety Engineering

What the Numbers Say About Safety Engineering

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 427 people work in the Safety Engineering occupation (OPM code 803) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -1.2% from 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.

The average salary for Safety Engineering is $141,538 per year, placing it 28.8% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 3.2% 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 14.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 8, the Engineering and Architecture Group family, is where the federal government classifies Safety Engineering alongside 28 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Safety Engineering 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.

Inside the Engineering and Architecture Group family (29 occupations, 142,526 employees combined), Safety Engineering holds the #22 spot by headcount, a 0.3% share of the family total.