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Operations Researcher - Federal Salaries of 2022
Pay Rates for "Operations Researcher"
How much does an Operations Researcher in the federal government get paid? $137,920.58* *Based on the 2022 average.Operations Researcher was the 163rd most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2022, with 1,041 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.
In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration hired the most employees titled Operations Research, with an average salary of $155,618.
Government Operations Research jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. The minimum paygrade for a Operations Research job is GS-6, and the highest paygrade that can be attained within this job series is GS-15. Remember that the starting and maximum yearly pay listed above reflect base pay only - your actual salary will be higher based on the Locality Pay Adjustment for the area in which you work.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions fall under this job category. Due to the growing focus of them STEM fields, individuals in this job category tend to advance more quickly than employees in the other job categories. Jobs in this category are being added quickly and many organizations have trouble finding qualified individuals. Individuals in this job category typically recieve pormotions of 2 grade increases at a time until they reach GS-12.
Agencies that have hired an Operations Researcher
Operations Researcher Pay Distribution
The average pay for an Operations Researcher is $137,920.58. The highest paid Operations Researcher made $317,625 in 2022.
Common Operations Researcher Payscales
| Payscale | Number of Operations Research Employees |
|---|---|
| GS - General Schedule | 730 |
| FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan | 144 |
| AD - Administratively Determined Rates, Not Elsewhere Specified | 38 |
| FG - Similar To The General Schedule | 26 |
| SV - Transportation Security Administration Employees Other Than Executives | 23 |
| ZP - Scientific And Engineering Professional | 22 |
| NQ - Employees In The National Nuclear Secuirty Administration's Professional, Technical, And Admin Career Path | 20 |
| RG - Scientists Appointed As Fellows And Compensated Under 42 U.s.c. 209(g). Includes Non-citizens Whose Employment | 10 |
| SK - Non-supervisorty Postions Employed By The Securities And Exchange Commission (sec) And Formerly Under Gs Pay | 6 |
| IR - Internal Revenue Service Broadband Classification And Pay System Positions Only | 5 |
| IC - Employees Holding Incident Management Cadre Of On-call Response/recovery Employees(core)positions | 5 |
| EN - National Nuclear Security Administration Excepted Service Only | 2 |
| CU - Credit Union Employees | 2 |
| SL - Senior Level Positions | 2 |
| ES - Senior Executive Service | 1 |
| ST - Scientific And Professional | 1 |
| VH - Professional, Administrative, And Managerial | 1 |
| EF - Consultant (5 U.s.c. 3109) | 1 |
| ED - Expert (5 U.s.c. 3109) | 1 |
| EV - Federal Aviation Administration Executive Compensation Plan | 1 |
| Starting Paygrade: | $36,070.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-6, Step 1 |
| Maximum Paygrade: | $152,771.00 / year base pay at paygrade GS-15, Step 10 |
| Category: | Professional and Scientific |
| Occupation Family: | 1500 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES GROUP |
Other Jobs at the GS-6 Paygrade
GS-6 is the starting paygrade for Operations Research jobs. Here are some other Federal Government jobs that can be held by employees at the GS-6 paygrade.
| Occupation | Occupation Category | Starting Paygrade | Maximum Paygrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance Accounts | Clerical and Administrative Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| General Education and Training | Professional and Scientific | GS-6 | GS-15 |
| Health Aid and Technician | Technical and Medical Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Respiratory Therapist | Technical and Medical Support | GS-1 | GS-9 |
| Tax Specialist | Administrative and Management | GS-4 | GS-15 |
Average Operations Research Pay Trend from 2004 to 2022
In 2004, the average pay for an Operations Researcher was $97,419. Since then, the average pay has increased to $137,921 in 2022.
Data Sources
The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.
Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.
The series code of this occupation is 1515.