Trade Specialist
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Trade Specialist occupation series (code 1140), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 487 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Trade Specialist ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Business and Industry Group family, and headcount declined 0.8% from the prior period. Its average salary of $146,967 pays well above the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 487
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $146,967
- Avg tenure
- 16.1 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Trade Specialist
Federal agencies employ 487 people in the Trade Specialist occupation (OPM code 1140), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -0.8% 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 Trade Specialist is $146,967 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.3% 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 16.1 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
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 in the Business and Industry Group family.
Trade Specialist makes up 0.6% of the 83,993 employees across the Business and Industry Group family, ranking #13 of 25 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Trade Specialist pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$146,967
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+25.2%
Where Trade Specialist ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $146,967 is higher than 87% of federal occupation series (468 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Trade Specialist sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Trade Specialist ranks higher than 87%.
Related Occupations in Business and Industry Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contracting | 30,323 | $132,449 | 14.4 yrs |
| General Business and Industry | 25,675 | $123,489 | 14.9 yrs |
| Production Control | 5,015 | $99,508 | 14.6 yrs |
| Loan Specialist | 3,952 | $95,452 | 12.7 yrs |
| Realty | 3,282 | $112,506 | 15.3 yrs |
| Grants Management | 3,042 | $129,704 | 14.5 yrs |
| Purchasing | 2,225 | $59,039 | 13.1 yrs |
| Internal Revenue Officer | 2,183 | n/a | 14.7 yrs |
| Housing Management | 1,724 | $91,096 | 12.5 yrs |
| Commissary Management | 1,174 | n/a | 19.2 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Trade Specialist outside the Business and Industry Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (487 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($146,967 here).
Key takeaways
- Trade Specialist pays well above the federal average by 25.2% ($146,967 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 87th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 487 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.8% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Trade Specialist ranks #297 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Trade Specialist makes up 0.6% of the 83,993 employees across the Business and Industry Group family, ranking #13 of 25 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.