Ecology federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Ecology series is across government, what the average pay looks like, and which agencies employ the biggest share of people in this occupation.
March 2025 workforce snapshot. The Ecology occupation series had 1,260 employees with an average salary of $118,786.
1,260 employees in this occupation series
$118,786 average pay
Biological Sciences Group occupation family
Forest Service largest agency for this occupation
What this page helps you check
Use this page when you want to see where a federal occupation is concentrated, which agencies employ the most people in it, and what the average pay looks like across government.
Occupation family
Ecology is reported under the Biological Sciences Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Ecology staff
These are the agencies with the biggest reported headcount in this occupation series.
| Agency | Department | Employees | Total salary expense | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Service | Department of Agriculture | 287 | $30,112,718 | $104,922 | 22.8% |
| Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | 245 | $32,159,117 | $131,262 | 19.4% |
| National Park Service | Department of the Interior | 219 | $23,031,439 | $105,166 | 17.4% |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | Department of Commerce | 73 | $10,776,994 | $147,630 | 5.8% |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Independent or mixed | 65 | $10,144,490 | $156,069 | 5.2% |
| Agricultural Research Service | Department of Agriculture | 56 | $7,139,567 | $127,492 | 4.4% |
| Bureau of Land Management | Department of the Interior | 41 | $3,779,421 | $92,181 | 3.3% |
| U.s. Army Corps of Engineers | Department of Defense | 41 | $5,303,369 | $129,350 | 3.3% |
| U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service | Department of the Interior | 35 | $4,302,443 | $122,927 | 2.8% |
| Natural Resources Conservation Service | Department of Agriculture | 31 | $2,713,277 | $87,525 | 2.5% |
Common pay plans for Ecology
This shows the pay plans most commonly attached to this occupation series in the latest OPM summary.
| Pay plan | Employees | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS | 1,008 | $116,060 | 80.0% |
| ZP | 73 | $147,630 | 5.8% |
| DB | 12 | $141,452 | 1.0% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).