Foreign Affairs federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Foreign Affairs series is across government, what the average pay looks like, and which agencies employ the biggest share of people in 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
Foreign Affairs is reported under the "Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group" family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Foreign Affairs 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of State | Department of State | 2,638 | $392,549,831 | $148,806 | 68.6% |
| Office of the Secretary of Defense | Department of Defense | 227 | $39,451,331 | $173,794 | 5.9% |
| U.s. Agency for International Development | Independent or mixed | 150 | $21,411,075 | $142,741 | 3.9% |
| Department of Energy | Department of Energy | 141 | $23,702,253 | $168,101 | 3.7% |
| Air Education and Training Command | Department of Defense | 129 | $14,682,762 | $113,820 | 3.4% |
| HQ Usaf and Support Elements | Department of Defense | 82 | $13,066,471 | $159,347 | 2.1% |
| Federal Aviation Administration | Department of Transportation | 61 | $11,527,069 | $188,968 | 1.6% |
| Air Force Materiel Command | Department of Defense | 31 | $3,830,545 | $123,566 | 0.8% |
| Defense Technology Security Administration | Department of Defense | 17 | $3,269,134 | $192,302 | 0.4% |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | Department of Commerce | 15 | $2,491,695 | $166,113 | 0.4% |
| Joint Activities | Department of Defense | 14 | $1,447,964 | $103,426 | 0.4% |
| U.s. Marine Corps | Department of Defense | 13 | $1,635,816 | $125,832 | 0.3% |
| Missile Defense Agency | Department of Defense | 13 | $2,390,427 | $183,879 | 0.3% |
Common pay plans for Foreign Affairs
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 | 3,091 | $149,875 | 80.4% |
| EN | 78 | $157,054 | 2.0% |
| ES | 72 | $212,366 | 1.9% |
| NQ | 63 | $181,778 | 1.6% |
| EF | 61 | $37,065 | 1.6% |
| FV | 61 | $188,968 | 1.6% |
| NH | 45 | $142,650 | 1.2% |
| AD | 21 | $150,895 | 0.5% |
| ZA | 15 | $166,113 | 0.4% |
| GG | 12 | $157,775 | 0.3% |
| DO | 12 | $119,796 | 0.3% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).