Boilermaking
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Boilermaking occupation series (code 3808): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Boilermaking is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 85 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Metal Work Family family. At an average salary of n/a it pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- 0.0%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 10.8 yrs
- Rank in family
- #6 of 7
FedScope read on Boilermaking (thin series)
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 sideways versus the prior period, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend. 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 38, the Metal Work Family family, is where the federal government classifies Boilermaking alongside 6 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Boilermaking postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Metal Work Family family. Boilermaking makes up 1.2% of the Metal Work Family family's 7,198 combined employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Boilermaking pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
n/a
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-100.0%
Where Boilermaking ranks on lean federal pay
Boilermaking earns more on average than 0% of federal occupation series (0 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Boilermaking sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Boilermaking.
Related Occupations in Metal Work Family
6 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet Metal Mechanic | 5,196 | $91,094 | 11.5 yrs |
| Shipfitting | 1,201 | $86,635 | 10.3 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Metal Work | 332 | $83,924 | 13.6 yrs |
| Metal Forming Machine Operating | 253 | $72,043 | 10.9 yrs |
| Mobile Equipment Metal Mechanic | 109 | $95,960 | 12.2 yrs |
| Metal Forging | 22 | $85,880 | 11 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Boilermaking outside the Metal Work Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (85 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families (n/a here).
Key takeaways
- Place Boilermaking 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 Metal Work Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Boilermaking 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.