Writing and Editing
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Writing and Editing occupation series (code 1082), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 760 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Writing and Editing ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Information and Arts Group family, and headcount declined 5.8% from the prior period. Its average salary of $138,055 pays above the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 760
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $138,055
- Avg tenure
- 15.2 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Writing and Editing
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Writing and Editing occupation (OPM code 1082): 760 people, headcount down -5.8% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Writing and Editing is $138,055 per year. Salaries moved down 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 15.2 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Writing and Editing sits inside the Information and Arts Group family (code 10), which contains 19 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Writing and Editing postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Information and Arts Group family.
Writing and Editing makes up 5.2% of the 14,755 employees across the Information and Arts Group family, ranking #6 of 19 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (94th percentile) of pay among Information and Arts Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Writing and Editing pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$138,055
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+17.7%
Where Writing and Editing ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $138,055 is higher than 81% of federal occupation series (439 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Writing and Editing sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Writing and Editing ranks higher than 81%.
Related Occupations in Information and Arts Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Affairs | 5,552 | $129,060 | 14.3 yrs |
| General Arts and Information | 2,759 | $126,733 | 14.5 yrs |
| Visual Information | 1,245 | $110,638 | 15.6 yrs |
| Language Specialist | 864 | $117,705 | 11.8 yrs |
| Technical Writing and Editing | 816 | $128,063 | 14.1 yrs |
| Museum Specialist and Technician | 657 | $91,362 | 13.8 yrs |
| Audiovisual Production | 619 | $128,404 | 16 yrs |
| Museum Curator | 490 | $125,118 | 17.5 yrs |
| Interior Design | 355 | $105,579 | 11 yrs |
| Exhibits Specialist | 268 | $103,348 | 16.7 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Writing and Editing outside the Information and Arts Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (760 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($138,055 here).
Key takeaways
- Writing and Editing pays above the federal average by 17.7% ($138,055 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 81st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 760 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 5.8% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Writing and Editing ranks #242 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Writing and Editing makes up 5.2% of the 14,755 employees across the Information and Arts Group family, ranking #6 of 19 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.