Social Science Aid and Technician
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Social Science Aid and Technician occupation series (code 0102): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Social Science Aid and Technician is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 1,534 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family. At an average salary of $67,632 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 0.9% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 1,534
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $67,632
- Avg tenure
- 12.4 yrs
FedScope read on Social Science Aid and Technician (dense series)
0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Social Science Aid and Technician occupation (OPM code 0102): 1,534 people, headcount up 0.9% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Average tenure in Social Science Aid and Technician runs 12.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $67,632 per year, down -0.4% 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 Aid and Technician together with 28 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Social Science Aid and Technician postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family.
Inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (29 occupations, 101,196 employees combined), Social Science Aid and Technician holds the #9 spot by headcount, a 1.5% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (22nd percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Social Science Aid and Technician pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$67,632
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-42.4%
Where Social Science Aid and Technician ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $67,632 is higher than 23% of federal occupation series (124 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Social Science Aid and Technician sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Social Science Aid and Technician ranks higher than 23%.
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 |
| 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 Aid and Technician 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 (1,534 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($67,632 here).
Key takeaways
- Social Science Aid and Technician pays below the federal average by 42.4% ($67,632 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 23rd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 1,534 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.9% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Social Science Aid and Technician ranks #174 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (29 occupations, 101,196 employees combined), Social Science Aid and Technician holds the #9 spot by headcount, a 1.5% share of the family total.
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.