Survey Technical
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Survey Technical occupation series (code 0817), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 249 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Survey Technical ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Engineering and Architecture Group family, and headcount grew 1.2% from the prior period. Its average salary of $63,640 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 249
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $63,640
- Avg tenure
- 11 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Survey Technical
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Survey Technical occupation (OPM code 0817): 249 people, headcount up 1.2% 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.
The average salary for Survey Technical is $63,640 per year. Salaries moved down by -0.4% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 11 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Survey Technical sits inside the Engineering and Architecture Group family (code 08), which contains 29 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Survey Technical postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Engineering and Architecture Group family.
Survey Technical makes up 0.2% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #24 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Survey Technical pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$63,640
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-45.8%
Where Survey Technical ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $63,640 is higher than 18% of federal occupation series (100 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Survey Technical sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Survey Technical ranks higher than 18%.
Related Occupations in Engineering and Architecture Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Engineering | 27,619 | $158,941 | 16.9 yrs |
| Engineering Technical | 14,443 | $93,062 | 15.2 yrs |
| Mechanical Engineering | 12,920 | $136,601 | 11.9 yrs |
| Electronics Engineering | 12,889 | $155,270 | 16.8 yrs |
| Civil Engineering | 10,260 | $124,230 | 14.7 yrs |
| Aerospace Engineering | 8,359 | $155,848 | 14.8 yrs |
| Electronics Technical | 7,298 | $103,713 | 15.6 yrs |
| Electrical Engineering | 5,231 | $142,419 | 13.5 yrs |
| Computer Engineering | 3,753 | $160,672 | 14.2 yrs |
| Nuclear Engineering | 2,813 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Survey Technical outside the Engineering and Architecture Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (249 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($63,640 here).
Key takeaways
- Survey Technical pays below the federal average by 45.8% ($63,640 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 18th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 249 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 1.2% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Survey Technical ranks #384 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Survey Technical makes up 0.2% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #24 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
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.