Zoology
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Zoology occupation series (code 0410): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Zoology is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 33 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Biological Sciences Group family. At an average salary of $157,557 it pays well above the federal average, and headcount declined from the prior period.
- Headcount change
- -2.9%
- Pay change
- +0.7%
- Avg tenure
- 19 yrs
- Rank in family
- #31 of 31
FedScope read on Zoology (thin series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. 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, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend.
Code 04, the Biological Sciences Group family, is where the federal government classifies Zoology alongside 30 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Zoology postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Biological Sciences Group family. Across the Biological Sciences Group family, 67,961 employees work in 31 occupations; Zoology is 0.0% of that headcount.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Zoology pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$157,557
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+34.3%
Where Zoology ranks on rich federal pay
Zoology earns more on average than 92% of federal occupation series (497 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Zoology sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Zoology.
Related Occupations in Biological Sciences Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences | 23,662 | $124,641 | 14 yrs |
| Forestry Technician | 11,090 | $61,659 | 8.7 yrs |
| Wildland Fire Management | 9,667 | $64,457 | 7 yrs |
| Biological Science Technician | 5,212 | $56,618 | 8.9 yrs |
| Soil Conservation | 4,101 | $89,391 | 13.8 yrs |
| Wildlife Biology | 1,868 | $95,468 | 16.3 yrs |
| Fish Biology | 1,629 | $116,550 | 16.2 yrs |
| Microbiology | 1,629 | $143,306 | 16.3 yrs |
| Forestry | 1,626 | $88,902 | 15.1 yrs |
| Ecology | 989 | $122,664 | 16.1 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Zoology outside the Biological Sciences Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (33 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($157,557 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Zoology 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 Biological Sciences Group family occupations in the table above, or search current Zoology 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.