Hydrology federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Hydrology 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 Hydrology occupation series had 1,903 employees with an average salary of $114,328.
1,903 employees in this occupation series
$114,328 average pay
Physical Sciences Group occupation family
Geological Survey 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
Hydrology is reported under the Physical Sciences Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Hydrology 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | 1,013 | $117,570,720 | $116,062 | 53.2% |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | Department of Commerce | 237 | $31,509,586 | $132,952 | 12.5% |
| Forest Service | Department of Agriculture | 232 | $21,430,609 | $92,373 | 12.2% |
| Bureau of Land Management | Department of the Interior | 62 | $6,046,647 | $97,527 | 3.3% |
| Natural Resources Conservation Service | Department of Agriculture | 33 | $3,219,835 | $97,571 | 1.7% |
| Agricultural Research Service | Department of Agriculture | 29 | $3,551,522 | $122,466 | 1.5% |
| U.s. Army Corps of Engineers | Department of Defense | 20 | $2,233,560 | $111,678 | 1.1% |
| National Park Service | Department of the Interior | 18 | $2,002,032 | $111,224 | 0.9% |
| U.s. Fish and Wildlife Service | Department of the Interior | 16 | $1,758,240 | $109,890 | 0.8% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | Department of the Interior | 14 | $1,456,714 | $104,051 | 0.7% |
Common pay plans for Hydrology
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 | 1,674 | $113,966 | 88.0% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).