Trade Specialist

What the Numbers Say About Trade Specialist

Federal agencies employ 698 people in the Trade Specialist occupation (OPM code 1140), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -2.1% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Trade Specialist is $141,215 per year, placing it 28.5% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 3.0% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 14.4 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 11, the Business and Industry Group family, is where the federal government classifies Trade Specialist alongside 24 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Trade Specialist 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.

Trade Specialist makes up 0.6% of the 115,651 employees across the Business and Industry Group family, ranking #14 of 25 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (88th percentile) of pay among Business and Industry Group occupations.