Soil Conservation
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Soil Conservation occupation series (code 0457), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Biological Sciences Group family, Soil Conservation counts 4,101 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount edged up from the prior period; pay averages $89,391, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +0.1%
- Pay change
- +0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 13.8 yrs
- Rank in family
- #5 of 31
FedScope read on Soil Conservation (dense series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved up versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Code 04, the Biological Sciences Group family, is where the federal government classifies Soil Conservation alongside 30 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Soil Conservation postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family. Across the Biological Sciences Group family, 67,961 employees work in 31 occupations; Soil Conservation is 6.0% of that headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (32nd percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Soil Conservation pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$89,391
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-23.8%
Where Soil Conservation ranks on federal pay
Soil Conservation earns more on average than 45% of federal occupation series (243 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Soil Conservation sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Soil Conservation.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,629 | $116,550 | 16.2 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,629 | $143,306 | 16.3 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
| Rangeland Management | 692 | $88,317 | 14.6 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Soil Conservation outside the Biological Sciences 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 (4,101 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($89,391 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Soil Conservation pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Biological Sciences Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Soil Conservation postings on USAJOBS.
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.