Soil Conservation Technician
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Soil Conservation Technician occupation series (code 0458): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 502 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Soil Conservation Technician ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Biological Sciences Group family, and headcount declined 0.6% from the prior period. Its average salary of $59,217 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 502
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $59,217
- Avg tenure
- 11.6 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Soil Conservation Technician
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 502 people work in the Soil Conservation Technician occupation (OPM code 0458) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.6% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Soil Conservation Technician pays $59,217 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 11.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
The Biological Sciences Group family (code 04) groups Soil Conservation Technician together with 30 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Soil Conservation Technician postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family.
Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Soil Conservation Technician ranks #15 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 0.7% of the family's combined 67,961 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (16th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Soil Conservation Technician pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$59,217
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-49.5%
Where Soil Conservation Technician ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $59,217 is higher than 14% of federal occupation series (74 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Soil Conservation Technician sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Soil Conservation Technician ranks higher than 14%.
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 |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 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 |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Soil Conservation Technician outside the Biological Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (502 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($59,217 here).
Key takeaways
- Soil Conservation Technician pays below the federal average by 49.5% ($59,217 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 14th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 502 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.6% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Soil Conservation Technician ranks #291 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Biological Sciences Group family, Soil Conservation Technician ranks #15 of 31 by headcount, accounting for 0.7% of the family's combined 67,961 employees.
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.