Purchasing federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Purchasing 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 Purchasing occupation series had 2,984 employees with an average salary of $61,088.
2,984 employees in this occupation series
$61,088 average pay
Business and Industry Group occupation family
Veterans Health Administration 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
Purchasing is reported under the Business and Industry Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Purchasing 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Health Administration | Department of Veterans Affairs | 1,656 | $93,575,522 | $56,507 | 55.5% |
| Defense Logistics Agency | Department of Defense | 322 | $19,047,645 | $59,154 | 10.8% |
| Forest Service | Department of Agriculture | 103 | $6,794,303 | $65,964 | 3.5% |
| U. S. Army Contracting Command | Department of Defense | 79 | $5,666,307 | $71,725 | 2.6% |
| National Institutes of Health | Department of Health and Human Services | 70 | $5,055,374 | $72,220 | 2.3% |
| Naval Facilities Engineering Command | Department of Defense | 59 | $3,755,161 | $63,647 | 2.0% |
| U.s. Coast Guard | Department of Homeland Security | 53 | $3,853,359 | $72,705 | 1.8% |
| Indian Health Service | Department of Health and Human Services | 50 | $3,292,147 | $65,843 | 1.7% |
| Naval Supply Systems Command | Department of Defense | 39 | $2,822,456 | $72,371 | 1.3% |
| Military Treatment Facilities Under DHA | Department of Defense | 38 | $2,208,839 | $58,127 | 1.3% |
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | Department of Justice | 28 | $2,209,564 | $78,913 | 0.9% |
| Naval Education and Training Command | Department of Defense | 16 | $1,067,872 | $66,742 | 0.5% |
| Office of Naval Research | Department of Defense | 14 | $1,090,754 | $77,911 | 0.5% |
| U.s. Army Medical Command | Department of Defense | 12 | $952,764 | $79,397 | 0.4% |
| U.s. Marine Corps | Department of Defense | 12 | $775,344 | $64,612 | 0.4% |
| Naval Air Systems Command | Department of Defense | 12 | $971,652 | $80,971 | 0.4% |
| Bureau of Naval Personnel | Department of Defense | 11 | $894,355 | $81,305 | 0.4% |
Common pay plans for Purchasing
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 | 2,548 | $59,651 | 85.4% |
| NC | 14 | $77,911 | 0.5% |
| NK | 12 | $79,397 | 0.4% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).