Aerospace Engineering
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Aerospace Engineering occupation series (code 0861): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 8,359 employees (0.4% of the federal civilian workforce), Aerospace Engineering ranks as a mid-sized federal occupation within the Engineering and Architecture Group family, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period. Its average salary of $155,848 pays well above the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 8,359
- Share of workforce
- 0.4%
- Avg salary
- $155,848
- Avg tenure
- 14.8 yrs
FedScope read on Aerospace Engineering (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 8,359 people work in the Aerospace Engineering occupation (OPM code 0861) across federal agencies, 0.4% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.5% from the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.
The average salary for Aerospace Engineering is $155,848 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.1% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 14.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 08, the Engineering and Architecture Group family, is where the federal government classifies Aerospace Engineering alongside 28 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Aerospace Engineering postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Engineering and Architecture Group family.
Aerospace Engineering makes up 6.9% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #6 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (81st percentile) of pay among Engineering and Architecture Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Aerospace Engineering pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$155,848
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+32.8%
Where Aerospace Engineering ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $155,848 is higher than 91% of federal occupation series (492 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Aerospace Engineering sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Aerospace Engineering ranks higher than 91%.
Related Occupations in Engineering and Architecture Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Engineering | 27,619 | $158,941 | 16.9 yrs |
| Engineering Technical | 14,443 | $93,062 | 15.2 yrs |
| Mechanical Engineering | 12,920 | $136,601 | 11.9 yrs |
| Electronics Engineering | 12,889 | $155,270 | 16.8 yrs |
| Civil Engineering | 10,260 | $124,230 | 14.7 yrs |
| Electronics Technical | 7,298 | $103,713 | 15.6 yrs |
| Electrical Engineering | 5,231 | $142,419 | 13.5 yrs |
| Computer Engineering | 3,753 | $160,672 | 14.2 yrs |
| Nuclear Engineering | 2,813 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
| Environmental Engineering | 2,429 | $139,024 | 17 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Aerospace Engineering outside the Engineering and Architecture Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (8,359 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($155,848 here).
Key takeaways
- Aerospace Engineering pays well above the federal average by 32.8% ($155,848 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 91st percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A mid-sized federal occupation by headcount: 8,359 employees, 0.4% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.5% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Aerospace Engineering ranks #56 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Aerospace Engineering makes up 6.9% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #6 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.