Boiler Plant Operating
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Boiler Plant Operating occupation series (code 5402).
The verdict
Boiler Plant Operating is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 762 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family. At an average salary of $76,211 it pays below the federal average, and headcount edged down from the prior period.
- Headcount change
- -0.8%
- Pay change
- -0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 12.8 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 12
What the Numbers Say About Boiler Plant Operating
For job seekers weighing career length: this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. As for pay, the latest move was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Code 54, the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, is where the federal government classifies Boiler Plant Operating alongside 11 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Boiler Plant Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family. Boiler Plant Operating makes up 15.8% of the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family's 4,810 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (33rd percentile) of pay among Industrial Equipment Operation Family occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Boiler Plant Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$76,211
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-35.1%
Where Boiler Plant Operating ranks on lean federal pay
Boiler Plant Operating earns more on average than 33% of federal occupation series (178 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Boiler Plant Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Boiler Plant Operating.
Related Occupations in Industrial Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lock and Dam Operating | 1,197 | $68,109 | 13.2 yrs |
| Electrical Power Controlling | 711 | $156,821 | 17.5 yrs |
| Fuel Distribution System Operating | 700 | $81,595 | 11.2 yrs |
| Utility Systems Operating | 419 | $75,930 | 12.5 yrs |
| Water Treatment Plant Operating | 265 | $89,105 | 12.2 yrs |
| Sewage Disposal Plant Operating | 235 | $78,823 | 12.3 yrs |
| Misc Industrial Equipment Operation | 184 | $95,593 | 15.9 yrs |
| Sandblasting | 153 | $65,089 | 12 yrs |
| Air Conditioning Equipment Operating | 130 | $76,659 | 15.2 yrs |
| Packaging Machine Operating | 27 | $75,706 | 17.7 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Boiler Plant Operating outside the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (762 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($76,211 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Boiler Plant Operating pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Industrial Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Boiler Plant Operating postings on USAJOBS.
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.