Physics federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Physics 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 Physics occupation series had 2,312 employees with an average salary of $155,280.
2,312 employees in this occupation series
$155,280 average pay
Physical Sciences Group occupation family
Naval Sea Systems 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
Physics is reported under the Physical Sciences Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Physics 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naval Sea Systems Command | Department of Defense | 465 | $61,115,618 | $131,431 | 20.1% |
| National Institute of Standards and Technology | Department of Commerce | 397 | $66,083,508 | $166,457 | 17.2% |
| Office of Naval Research | Department of Defense | 308 | $52,629,227 | $170,874 | 13.3% |
| United States Army Futures Command | Department of Defense | 182 | $30,222,899 | $166,060 | 7.9% |
| Air Force Materiel Command | Department of Defense | 146 | $21,733,761 | $148,861 | 6.3% |
| Naval Air Systems Command | Department of Defense | 111 | $15,010,785 | $135,232 | 4.8% |
| National Institutes of Health | Department of Health and Human Services | 76 | $14,419,664 | $189,732 | 3.3% |
| Space Systems Command | Department of Defense | 62 | $9,237,027 | $148,984 | 2.7% |
| "Commander, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (Navwarsyscom)" | Department of Defense | 53 | $7,968,538 | $150,350 | 2.3% |
| Department of Energy | Department of Energy | 31 | $5,845,174 | $188,554 | 1.3% |
| Goddard Space Flight Center | Independent or mixed | 29 | $5,295,363 | $182,599 | 1.3% |
| U.s. Army Corps of Engineers | Department of Defense | 16 | $2,309,024 | $144,314 | 0.7% |
| George C. Marshall Space Flight Center | Independent or mixed | 13 | $1,719,419 | $132,263 | 0.6% |
| Langley Research Center | Independent or mixed | 13 | $2,311,777 | $177,829 | 0.6% |
| Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency | Department of Defense | 12 | $3,122,880 | $260,240 | 0.5% |
| Food and Drug Administration | Department of Health and Human Services | 11 | $1,589,115 | $144,465 | 0.5% |
| U.s. Army Intelligence and Security Command | Department of Defense | 11 | $1,717,452 | $156,132 | 0.5% |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | Department of Commerce | 11 | $1,853,797 | $168,527 | 0.5% |
Common pay plans for Physics
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ND | 518 | $133,367 | 22.4% |
| ZP | 392 | $164,137 | 17.0% |
| NP | 308 | $170,874 | 13.3% |
| DR | 208 | $148,898 | 9.0% |
| DB | 198 | $164,303 | 8.6% |
| DP | 111 | $135,232 | 4.8% |
| GS | 86 | $176,416 | 3.7% |
| RG | 59 | $164,398 | 2.6% |
| RF | 28 | $225,332 | 1.2% |
| ST | 16 | $224,718 | 0.7% |
| AD | 12 | $260,240 | 0.5% |
| GG | 11 | $156,132 | 0.5% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).