PublicPay

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences federal salary series 0401

Full-time federal employees in the General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences series earned a median of $120,629 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 10% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $97,584 and $146,742.

Median pay
$120,629
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$97,584–$146,742
25th–75th percentile
Employees
23,696
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+4.7%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences
All federal (full-time)

What shapes general natural resources management and biological sciences pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-12 (6,705 employees, median $107,969). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Health and Human Services (4,815 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($158,306) and lowest in South Dakota ($84,638), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 31% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-7 258 $53,824 $52,142–$58,241
GS-9 1,769 $67,896 $65,074–$73,999
GS-11 3,513 $88,296 $82,148–$96,529
GS-12 6,705 $107,969 $101,443–$116,362
GS-13 4,145 $132,604 $123,076–$142,084
GS-14 1,600 $163,104 $149,136–$172,700
GS-15 754 $192,331 $178,594–$197,200
AD-4 39 $209,600 $208,908–$209,600
ES (ungraded) 44 $218,724 $210,366–$228,000
GW-9 38 $85,656 $80,724–$89,224
GW-11 172 $94,794 $92,006–$100,566
GW-12 145 $110,573 $107,321–$119,661
GW-13 73 $131,628 $124,106–$140,299
RF (ungraded) 316 $220,000 $208,422–$250,226
RG (ungraded) 1,487 $139,744 $124,220–$167,557
ZP-2 30 $91,221 $83,943–$99,308
ZP-3 365 $115,176 $101,591–$125,608
ZP-4 249 $161,397 $142,373–$179,270
ZP-5 36 $197,200 $196,662–$197,200

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pay by agency

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Health and Human Services 4,815 $141,850 $122,899–$167,995
Department of Agriculture 4,785 $101,928 $84,623–$127,615
Department of the Interior 3,543 $104,427 $87,403–$122,697
Environmental Protection Agency 1,851 $128,585 $108,493–$150,519
Department of Commerce 681 $128,987 $109,345–$158,212
Department of Veterans Affairs 230 $130,543 $95,918–$170,310
Department of Justice 123 $146,143 $125,845–$167,902
Department of Energy 70 $132,960 $113,533–$160,108
National Science Foundation 64 $209,600 $166,134–$209,600
Smithsonian Institution 61 $121,785 $91,145–$163,104
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 52 $164,395 $139,116–$188,630

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

General Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Maryland 4,084 $146,310 $129,201–$175,866
California 1,069 $114,785 $93,358–$137,738
Georgia 840 $113,586 $100,964–$131,316
District of Columbia 817 $158,306 $133,964–$186,207
Colorado 587 $116,758 $98,459–$138,902
North Carolina 528 $122,262 $102,816–$144,493
Oregon 506 $98,459 $83,147–$118,507
Washington 446 $110,836 $95,210–$130,786
Florida 438 $104,860 $93,085–$124,689
Texas 435 $107,038 $89,560–$131,140

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare general natural resources management and biological sciences pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +4.7% from $115,213 in September 2025 to $120,629 in September 2026. Headcount went from 26,636 to 23,696 (−11.0%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

Related occupations in Biological Sciences Group