Automotive Mechanic
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Automotive Mechanic occupation series (code 5823): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Automotive Mechanic is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 1,079 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family family. At an average salary of $81,292 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 1,079
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $81,292
- Avg tenure
- 15.1 yrs
FedScope read on Automotive Mechanic (dense series)
0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Automotive Mechanic occupation (OPM code 5823): 1,079 people, headcount down -0.7% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Automotive Mechanic is $81,292 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.0% 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 15.1 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Automotive Mechanic sits inside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family family (code 58), which contains 5 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Automotive Mechanic postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family family.
Automotive Mechanic makes up 9.1% of the 11,831 employees across the Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family family, ranking #3 of 5 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (20th percentile) of pay among Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family occupations.
Salary Context
How Automotive Mechanic pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$81,292
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-30.7%
Where Automotive Mechanic ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $81,292 is higher than 38% of federal occupation series (203 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Automotive Mechanic sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Automotive Mechanic ranks higher than 38%.
Related Occupations in Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family
4 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misc Transportation/mobile Equipmt Maintne | 5,977 | $97,254 | 10.2 yrs |
| Heavy Mobile Equipment Mechanic | 4,639 | $94,068 | 13.9 yrs |
| Mobile Equipment Servicing | 95 | $57,358 | 6.9 yrs |
| Electromotive Equipment Mechanic | 41 | $89,407 | 15.3 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Automotive Mechanic outside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance 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 (1,079 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($81,292 here).
Key takeaways
- Automotive Mechanic pays below the federal average by 30.7% ($81,292 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 38th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 1,079 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Automotive Mechanic ranks #203 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Automotive Mechanic makes up 9.1% of the 11,831 employees across the Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family family, ranking #3 of 5 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.