General Physical Science federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the General Physical Science 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
General Physical Science is reported under the Physical Sciences Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most General Physical Science 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Protection Agency | Independent or mixed | 2,527 | $334,103,209 | $132,213 | 24.5% |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | Department of Commerce | 1,015 | $156,376,873 | $154,066 | 9.8% |
| Department of Energy | Department of Energy | 839 | $129,957,348 | $154,896 | 8.1% |
| Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | 764 | $83,638,586 | $109,475 | 7.4% |
| U.s. Army Corps of Engineers | Department of Defense | 511 | $63,669,735 | $124,598 | 5.0% |
| Naval Facilities Engineering Command | Department of Defense | 370 | $44,898,169 | $121,346 | 3.6% |
| Air Force Materiel Command | Department of Defense | 305 | $39,026,719 | $127,956 | 3.0% |
| United States Fleet Forces Command | Department of Defense | 269 | $28,821,840 | $107,144 | 2.6% |
| Naval Sea Systems Command | Department of Defense | 183 | $27,360,130 | $149,509 | 1.8% |
| National Institute of Standards and Technology | Department of Commerce | 180 | $30,245,108 | $168,028 | 1.7% |
| United States Army Futures Command | Department of Defense | 178 | $30,178,824 | $169,544 | 1.7% |
| Forest Service | Department of Agriculture | 148 | $14,657,524 | $99,037 | 1.4% |
| National Science Foundation | Independent or mixed | 140 | $29,166,738 | $208,334 | 1.4% |
| Goddard Space Flight Center | Independent or mixed | 129 | $22,756,626 | $176,408 | 1.2% |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | Department of Justice | 120 | $18,047,954 | $150,400 | 1.2% |
| "Headquarters, NASA" | Independent or mixed | 116 | $22,349,932 | $192,672 | 1.1% |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | Independent or mixed | 113 | $19,011,893 | $168,247 | 1.1% |
| United States Army Installation Management Command | Department of Defense | 108 | $11,705,735 | $108,386 | 1.0% |
| Defense Threat Reduction Agency | Department of Defense | 88 | $14,861,848 | $168,885 | 0.9% |
| Langley Research Center | Independent or mixed | 86 | $14,291,444 | $166,180 | 0.8% |
| Customs and Border Protection | Department of Homeland Security | 69 | $9,221,889 | $133,651 | 0.7% |
| U.s. Army Criminal Investigation Command | Department of Defense | 63 | $8,478,557 | $134,580 | 0.6% |
| National Park Service | Department of the Interior | 63 | $5,760,610 | $91,438 | 0.6% |
| Office of Naval Research | Department of Defense | 58 | $8,823,140 | $152,123 | 0.6% |
| U.s. Army Test and Evaluation Command | Department of Defense | 50 | $6,465,834 | $129,317 | 0.5% |
Common pay plans for General Physical Science
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 | 6,660 | $131,266 | 64.5% |
| ZP | 863 | $152,648 | 8.4% |
| DB | 308 | $154,791 | 3.0% |
| ND | 217 | $148,265 | 2.1% |
| GG | 216 | $163,536 | 2.1% |
| ES | 109 | $217,739 | 1.1% |
| NH | 100 | $125,942 | 1.0% |
| AD | 93 | $201,344 | 0.9% |
| EH | 71 | $91,580 | 0.7% |
| NN | 67 | $164,969 | 0.6% |
| DR | 67 | $149,280 | 0.6% |
| EN | 66 | $170,272 | 0.6% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).