Aircraft Operation
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Aircraft Operation occupation series (code 2181), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Aircraft Operation is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 2,432 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Transportation Group family. At an average salary of $149,284 it pays well above the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 2,432
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $149,284
- Avg tenure
- 15.2 yrs
FedScope read on Aircraft Operation (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 2,432 people work in the Aircraft Operation occupation (OPM code 2181) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.7% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Aircraft Operation is $149,284 per year. Salaries moved down 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 15.2 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
The Transportation Group family (code 21) groups Aircraft Operation together with 19 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Aircraft Operation postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation Group family.
Within the Transportation Group family, Aircraft Operation ranks #4 of 20 by headcount, accounting for 5.7% of the family's combined 42,428 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (73rd percentile) of pay among Transportation Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Aircraft Operation pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$149,284
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+27.2%
Where Aircraft Operation ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $149,284 is higher than 88% of federal occupation series (474 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Aircraft Operation sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Aircraft Operation ranks higher than 88%.
Related Occupations in Transportation Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Traffic Control | 21,627 | $153,037 | 13.7 yrs |
| Transportation Specialist | 8,313 | $123,621 | 16.6 yrs |
| Transportation Clerk and Assistant | 2,525 | $55,598 | 11.3 yrs |
| Transportation Operations | 1,900 | $105,349 | 16.3 yrs |
| Traffic Management | 1,400 | $119,205 | 15.8 yrs |
| Dispatching | 1,378 | $58,047 | 10.9 yrs |
| Technical Systems Program Manager | 672 | $191,580 | 24.5 yrs |
| Railroad Safety | 497 | $119,966 | 14.1 yrs |
| Motor Carrier Safety | 467 | $94,322 | 12 yrs |
| Aircrew Technician | 374 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Aircraft Operation outside the Transportation 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 (2,432 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($149,284 here).
Key takeaways
- Aircraft Operation pays well above the federal average by 27.2% ($149,284 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 88th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 2,432 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Aircraft Operation ranks #140 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Transportation Group family, Aircraft Operation ranks #4 of 20 by headcount, accounting for 5.7% of the family's combined 42,428 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.