Social Work
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Social Work occupation series (code 0185).
The verdict
In the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family, Social Work counts 22,339 employees, a major federal occupation at 1.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.2% from the prior period; pay averages $112,147, which pays near the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 22,339
- Share of workforce
- 1.1%
- Avg salary
- $112,147
- Avg tenure
- 10 yrs
FedScope read on Social Work (dense series)
1.1% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Social Work occupation (OPM code 0185): 22,339 people, headcount down -0.2% 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.
Social Work pays $112,147 per year on average, moving up 0.2% 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 10 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Social Work sits inside the Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group family (code 01), which contains 29 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Social Work 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 Work holds the #2 spot by headcount, a 22.1% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (41st percentile) of pay among Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Social Work pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$112,147
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-4.4%
Where Social Work ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $112,147 is higher than 62% of federal occupation series (335 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Social Work sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Social Work ranks higher than 62%.
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 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 |
| Social Services Aid and Assistant | 962 | $59,911 | 11.7 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Social Work 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 (22,339 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($112,147 here).
Key takeaways
- Social Work pays near the federal average by 4.4% ($112,147 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 62nd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A major federal occupation by headcount: 22,339 employees, 1.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.2% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Social Work ranks #21 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 Work holds the #2 spot by headcount, a 22.1% 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.