Secretary
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Secretary occupation series (code 0318).
The verdict
With 5,419 employees (0.3% of the federal civilian workforce), Secretary ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group family, and headcount declined 2.1% from the prior period. Its average salary of $66,321 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 5,419
- Share of workforce
- 0.3%
- Avg salary
- $66,321
- Avg tenure
- 14.3 yrs
FedScope read on Secretary (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 5,419 people in the Secretary occupation (OPM code 0318), accounting for 0.3% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -2.1% 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.
Secretary pays $66,321 per year on average, moving up 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 14.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 03, the General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group family, is where the federal government classifies Secretary alongside 30 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Secretary postings should also review these sibling occupations in the General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group family.
Within the General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group family, Secretary ranks #7 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 2.1% of the family's combined 260,640 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (41st percentile) of pay among General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Secretary pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$66,321
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-43.5%
Where Secretary ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $66,321 is higher than 21% of federal occupation series (114 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Secretary sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Secretary ranks higher than 21%.
Related Occupations in General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Administration and Program | 84,990 | $125,183 | 15.6 yrs |
| Management and Program Analysis | 73,337 | $134,823 | 16.7 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Clerk and Assistant | 35,782 | $53,568 | 10.4 yrs |
| Logistics Management | 20,350 | $117,169 | 15 yrs |
| Program Management | 15,235 | $178,573 | 19.9 yrs |
| Administrative Officer | 8,149 | $110,689 | 18 yrs |
| Telecommunications | 3,607 | $127,955 | 16.5 yrs |
| Management and Program Clerical and Assistance | 3,112 | $68,111 | 14 yrs |
| Government Information Specialist | 2,335 | $124,799 | 17.1 yrs |
| Support Services Administration | 1,719 | $99,850 | 16.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Secretary outside the General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services 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 (5,419 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($66,321 here).
Key takeaways
- Secretary pays below the federal average by 43.5% ($66,321 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 21st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 5,419 employees, 0.3% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 2.1% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Secretary ranks #76 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group family, Secretary ranks #7 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 2.1% of the family's combined 260,640 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.