Wage and Hour Investigation Series
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Wage and Hour Investigation Series occupation series (code 1849).
The verdict
In the Investigation Group family, Wage and Hour Investigation Series counts 885 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount edged down from the prior period; pay averages $120,994, which pays near the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -0.2%
- Pay change
- +0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 17.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #10 of 20
FedScope read on Wage and Hour Investigation Series (dense series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Code 18, the Investigation Group family, is where the federal government classifies Wage and Hour Investigation Series alongside 19 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Wage and Hour Investigation Series postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Investigation Group family. Across the Investigation Group family, 209,389 employees work in 20 occupations; Wage and Hour Investigation Series is 0.4% of that headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (58th percentile) of pay among Investigation Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$120,994
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+3.1%
Where Wage and Hour Investigation Series ranks on rich federal pay
Wage and Hour Investigation Series earns more on average than 68% of federal occupation series (369 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Wage and Hour Investigation Series sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Wage and Hour Investigation Series.
Related Occupations in Investigation Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance Inspection and Support | 53,444 | n/a | 9.8 yrs |
| Criminal Investigation | 44,633 | n/a | 14.5 yrs |
| General Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, and Compliance Series | 44,491 | n/a | 14.8 yrs |
| Customs and Border Protection | 27,421 | n/a | 14.7 yrs |
| Border Patrol Enforcement Series | 21,781 | n/a | 13.3 yrs |
| Consumer Safety Inspection | 5,242 | $74,073 | 15.3 yrs |
| Aviation Safety | 4,206 | $143,216 | 15 yrs |
| Investigative Analysis | 2,129 | n/a | 15.9 yrs |
| Import Compliance Series | 1,104 | $126,314 | 16.5 yrs |
| Mine Safety and Health Inspection Series | 875 | $112,306 | 13.2 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Wage and Hour Investigation Series outside the Investigation Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (885 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($120,994 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Wage and Hour Investigation Series pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Investigation Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Wage and Hour Investigation Series postings on USAJOBS.
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.