Automotive Mechanic

What the Numbers Say About Automotive Mechanic

0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Automotive Mechanic occupation (OPM code 5823): 1,186 people, headcount down -0.1% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Automotive Mechanic is $76,085 per year, placing it 30.7% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.3% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 12.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

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, 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.

Automotive Mechanic makes up 9.1% of the 13,090 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 top half (60th percentile) of pay among Transportation/mobile Equipment Maintenance Family occupations.