Operations Research federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Operations Research 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 Operations Research occupation series had 5,862 employees with an average salary of $140,821.
5,862 employees in this occupation series
$140,821 average pay
Mathematics and Statistics Group occupation family
Air Force Materiel Command 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
Operations Research is reported under the Mathematics and Statistics Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Operations Research 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force Materiel Command | Department of Defense | 672 | $83,445,102 | $124,174 | 11.5% |
| United States Army Futures Command | Department of Defense | 419 | $57,841,605 | $138,047 | 7.1% |
| Naval Air Systems Command | Department of Defense | 405 | $56,826,335 | $140,312 | 6.9% |
| Naval Sea Systems Command | Department of Defense | 275 | $39,443,001 | $143,429 | 4.7% |
| U.s. Army Test and Evaluation Command | Department of Defense | 191 | $27,118,735 | $141,983 | 3.3% |
| U.s. Army Acquisition Support Center | Department of Defense | 169 | $23,798,197 | $140,818 | 2.9% |
| "Commander, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (Navwarsyscom)" | Department of Defense | 162 | $23,965,773 | $147,937 | 2.8% |
| Office of the Secretary of Defense | Department of Defense | 142 | $26,943,066 | $189,740 | 2.4% |
| Missile Defense Agency | Department of Defense | 142 | $19,276,114 | $135,747 | 2.4% |
| Internal Revenue Service | Department of the Treasury | 114 | $16,950,962 | $148,693 | 1.9% |
| Federal Aviation Administration | Department of Transportation | 114 | $21,751,629 | $190,804 | 1.9% |
| HQ Usaf and Support Elements | Department of Defense | 89 | $14,807,945 | $166,381 | 1.5% |
| Department of Energy | Department of Energy | 87 | $14,118,503 | $162,282 | 1.5% |
| U.s. Marine Corps | Department of Defense | 84 | $13,112,755 | $156,104 | 1.4% |
| Air Force Civilian Career Training | Department of Defense | 84 | $5,964,204 | $71,002 | 1.4% |
| "Air Force Elements, U.s. Strategic Command" | Department of Defense | 81 | $11,640,538 | $143,710 | 1.4% |
| Air Force Cost Analysis Agency | Department of Defense | 79 | $12,537,698 | $158,705 | 1.3% |
| Office of the Secretary of the Army | Department of Defense | 75 | $12,276,910 | $163,692 | 1.3% |
| Defense Contract Management Agency | Department of Defense | 71 | $9,364,316 | $131,892 | 1.2% |
| U.S. Army Civilian Human Resources Agency | Department of Defense | 66 | $4,000,744 | $60,617 | 1.1% |
| Air Combat Command | Department of Defense | 65 | $8,378,051 | $128,893 | 1.1% |
| Defense Logistics Agency | Department of Defense | 57 | $7,868,960 | $138,052 | 1.0% |
| Food and Drug Administration | Department of Health and Human Services | 57 | $9,080,360 | $159,305 | 1.0% |
| Hqda Field Operating Agencies and Staff Support Agencies and Staff Support Agencies | Department of Defense | 55 | $8,363,499 | $152,064 | 0.9% |
| Immediate Office of the Chief of Naval Operations | Department of Defense | 50 | $7,925,275 | $158,506 | 0.9% |
Common pay plans for Operations Research
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 | 1,773 | $136,981 | 30.2% |
| NH | 1,078 | $138,140 | 18.4% |
| DB | 419 | $138,047 | 7.1% |
| ND | 359 | $143,671 | 6.1% |
| DP | 336 | $138,493 | 5.7% |
| DR | 170 | $149,654 | 2.9% |
| FV | 114 | $190,804 | 1.9% |
| NM | 30 | $183,423 | 0.5% |
| ES | 18 | $212,426 | 0.3% |
| SV | 18 | $172,176 | 0.3% |
| NQ | 14 | $182,287 | 0.2% |
| AD | 11 | $169,209 | 0.2% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).