Buffing and Polishing
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Buffing and Polishing occupation series (code 3727): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 6 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Buffing and Polishing ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Metal Processing Family family. Its average salary of $84,749 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- 0.0%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 16.4 yrs
- Rank in family
- #9 of 9
FedScope read on Buffing and Polishing (thin series)
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. 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.
The Metal Processing Family family (code 37) groups Buffing and Polishing together with 8 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Buffing and Polishing postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Metal Processing Family family. The Metal Processing Family family totals 3,792 employees, and Buffing and Polishing accounts for 0.2% of them.
Salary Context
How Buffing and Polishing pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$84,749
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-27.8%
Where Buffing and Polishing ranks on federal pay
Buffing and Polishing earns more on average than 41% of federal occupation series (221 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Buffing and Polishing sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Buffing and Polishing.
Related Occupations in Metal Processing Family
8 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welding | 2,325 | $87,563 | 11.4 yrs |
| Non-Destructive Testing | 904 | $98,385 | 10.1 yrs |
| Electroplating | 272 | n/a | 10.7 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Metal Processing | 102 | n/a | 12.4 yrs |
| Metalizing | 70 | n/a | 14.8 yrs |
| Shot Peening Machine Operating | 54 | n/a | 16.9 yrs |
| Heat Treating | 46 | $79,709 | 16.9 yrs |
| Battery Repairing | 13 | $72,252 | 19.5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Buffing and Polishing outside the Metal Processing 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 (6 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($84,749 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Buffing and Polishing 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 Processing Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Buffing and Polishing 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.