Bookbinding
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Bookbinding occupation series (code 4441), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Bookbinding is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 29 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Printing Family family. At an average salary of $124,878 it pays near the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 21.6% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 29
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $124,878
- Avg tenure
- 14 yrs
FedScope read on Bookbinding (thin series)
Federal agencies employ 29 people in the Bookbinding occupation (OPM code 4441), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -21.6% 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.
Bookbinding pays $124,878 per year on average, moving up 1.5% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 14 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
The Printing Family family (code 44) groups Bookbinding together with 8 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Bookbinding postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Printing Family family.
Within the Printing Family family, Bookbinding ranks #7 of 9 by headcount, accounting for 2.9% of the family's combined 994 employees.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Bookbinding pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$124,878
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+6.4%
Where Bookbinding ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $124,878 is higher than 72% of federal occupation series (388 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Bookbinding sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Bookbinding ranks higher than 72%.
Related Occupations in Printing Family
8 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bindery Working | 256 | $103,645 | 12.8 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Printing and Reproduction | 189 | $85,576 | 16 yrs |
| Letterpress Operating | 180 | $137,778 | 12 yrs |
| Hand Composing | 135 | $102,719 | 15.2 yrs |
| Intaglio Press Operating | 119 | $137,286 | 13.2 yrs |
| Offset Press Operating | 56 | $118,773 | 19.4 yrs |
| Platemaking | 15 | $115,980 | 19.3 yrs |
| Electrolytic Intaglio Platemaking | 15 | $142,639 | 20.1 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Bookbinding outside the Printing 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 (29 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($124,878 here).
Key takeaways
- Bookbinding pays near the federal average by 6.4% ($124,878 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 72nd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 29 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 21.6% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Bookbinding ranks #583 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Printing Family family, Bookbinding ranks #7 of 9 by headcount, accounting for 2.9% of the family's combined 994 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.