Aircraft Mechanic

What the Numbers Say About Aircraft Mechanic

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 9,018 people work in the Aircraft Mechanic occupation (OPM code 8852) across federal agencies, 0.4% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.9% 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 Aircraft Mechanic is $78,326 per year, placing it 28.7% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.7% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 8.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Aircraft Overhaul Family family (code 88) groups Aircraft Mechanic together with 4 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Aircraft Mechanic postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Within the Aircraft Overhaul Family family, Aircraft Mechanic is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 79.7% of the family's combined 11,320 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (60th percentile) of pay among Aircraft Overhaul Family occupations.