Social Services
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Social Services occupation series (code 0187): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, Social Services counts 287 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.7% from the prior period; pay averages $64,911, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 287
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $64,911
- Avg tenure
- 13.3 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Social Services
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Social Services occupation (OPM code 0187): 287 people, headcount up 0.7% versus 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.
Average tenure in Social Services runs 13.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $64,911 per year, 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.
The Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01) groups Social Services together with 28 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Social Services 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 Services holds the #19 spot by headcount, a 0.3% share of the family total.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Social Services pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$64,911
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-44.7%
Where Social Services ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $64,911 is higher than 20% of federal occupation series (107 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Social Services sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Social Services ranks higher than 20%.
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 occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Social Services outside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (287 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($64,911 here).
Key takeaways
- Social Services pays below the federal average by 44.7% ($64,911 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 20th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 287 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Social Services ranks #370 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 Services holds the #19 spot by headcount, a 0.3% 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.