Wildlife Biology

What the Numbers Say About Wildlife Biology

Federal agencies employ 2,082 people in the Wildlife Biology occupation (OPM code 486), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -1.7% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Wildlife Biology pays $95,599 per year on average, 13.0% below the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 2.2% from the prior period (a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce). Employees in this role stay an average of 15.4 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.

The Biological Sciences Group family (code 4) groups Wildlife Biology together with 30 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Wildlife Biology 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.

Wildlife Biology makes up 3.0% of the 69,668 employees across the Biological Sciences Group family, ranking #5 of 31 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (39th percentile) of pay among Biological Sciences Group occupations.