Social Science
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Social Science occupation series (code 0101): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Social Science is a mid-sized federal occupation: 13,513 employees (0.7% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family. At an average salary of $109,039 it pays near the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 13,513
- Share of workforce
- 0.7%
- Avg salary
- $109,039
- Avg tenure
- 11.8 yrs
FedScope read on Social Science (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 13,513 people work in the Social Science occupation (OPM code 0101) across federal agencies, 0.7% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.5% from 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.
Average tenure in Social Science runs 11.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $109,039 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.
The Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01) groups Social Science together with 28 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Social Science postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family.
Social Science makes up 13.4% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #3 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (37th percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Social Science pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$109,039
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-7.1%
Where Social Science ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $109,039 is higher than 60% of federal occupation series (326 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Social Science sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Social Science ranks higher than 60%.
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 |
| 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 |
| Social Services Aid and Assistant | 962 | $59,911 | 11.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Social Science 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 (13,513 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($109,039 here).
Key takeaways
- Social Science pays near the federal average by 7.1% ($109,039 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 60th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A mid-sized federal occupation by headcount: 13,513 employees, 0.7% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Social Science ranks #34 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Social Science makes up 13.4% of the 101,196 employees across the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, ranking #3 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.