Aircraft Mechanic
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Aircraft Mechanic occupation series (code 8852): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Aircraft Mechanic is a mid-sized federal occupation: 8,041 employees (0.4% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Aircraft Overhaul Family family. At an average salary of $96,241 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 0.6% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 8,041
- Share of workforce
- 0.4%
- Avg salary
- $96,241
- Avg tenure
- 11.2 yrs
FedScope read on Aircraft Mechanic (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 8,041 people work in the Aircraft Mechanic occupation (OPM code 8852) across federal agencies, 0.4% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved up by 0.6% 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 $96,241 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.7% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 11.2 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 in the Aircraft Overhaul Family family.
Within the Aircraft Overhaul Family family, Aircraft Mechanic is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 80.0% of the family's combined 10,049 employees. Its average salary ranks right at the midpoint of pay among Aircraft Overhaul Family occupations.
Salary Context
How Aircraft Mechanic pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$96,241
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-18.0%
Where Aircraft Mechanic ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $96,241 is higher than 52% of federal occupation series (279 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Aircraft Mechanic sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Aircraft Mechanic ranks higher than 52%.
Related Occupations in Aircraft Overhaul Family
4 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Aircraft Overhaul | 1,481 | n/a | 19.5 yrs |
| Aircraft Mechnical Parts Repairing | 327 | n/a | 15.3 yrs |
| Aircraft Attending | 132 | $63,296 | 13.6 yrs |
| Aircraft Propeller Mechanic | 68 | n/a | 11.3 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Aircraft Mechanic outside the Aircraft Overhaul Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (8,041 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($96,241 here).
Key takeaways
- Aircraft Mechanic pays below the federal average by 18.0% ($96,241 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 52nd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A mid-sized federal occupation by headcount: 8,041 employees, 0.4% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.6% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Aircraft Mechanic ranks #60 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Aircraft Overhaul Family family, Aircraft Mechanic is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 80.0% of the family's combined 10,049 employees.
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.