Soil Conservation

What the Numbers Say About Soil Conservation

0.2% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Soil Conservation occupation (OPM code 457): 4,882 people, headcount up 0.4% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Average tenure in Soil Conservation 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 $84,996 per year, 22.6% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 1.7% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement.

Code 4, 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, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Inside the Biological Sciences Group family (31 occupations, 69,668 employees combined), Soil Conservation holds the #4 spot by headcount, a 7.0% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (29th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.