PublicPay

Operations Research federal salary series 1515

Full-time federal employees in the Operations Research series earned a median of $163,104 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 49% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $138,024 and $186,785.

Median pay
$163,104
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$138,024–$186,785
25th–75th percentile
Employees
4,847
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Operations Research
All federal (full-time)

What shapes operations research pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-14 (664 employees, median $167,902). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Homeland Security (200 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in District of Columbia ($177,497) and lowest in Oregon ($126,153), 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 84% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Operations Research pay by grade

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

Operations Research pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-12 205 $105,829 $102,415–$110,168
GS-13 620 $133,964 $123,916–$142,248
GS-14 664 $167,902 $158,306–$177,568
GS-15 288 $197,200 $184,760–$197,200

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

Operations Research pay by agency

Operations Research pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Homeland Security 200 $158,322 $142,549–$180,178
Department of Transportation 170 $182,295 $152,696–$198,281
Department of the Treasury 106 $150,935 $129,904–$171,043
Department of Health and Human Services 104 $167,902 $138,622–$189,240
Department of Energy 92 $144,558 $118,948–$171,665

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

Operations Research pay by state

The 6 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Operations Research pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
District of Columbia 267 $177,497 $153,509–$197,200
Maryland 114 $172,700 $145,586–$189,044
Virginia 87 $163,121 $144,525–$182,295
Oregon 44 $126,153 $102,873–$149,076
Georgia 37 $146,310 $131,316–$159,612
Massachusetts 31 $168,572 $148,575–$185,193

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

Compare operations research pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.0% from $161,486 in September 2025 to $163,104 in September 2026. Headcount went from 5,509 to 4,847 (−12.0%). 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 Mathematics and Statistics Group