Custodial Working

What the Numbers Say About Custodial Working

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 12,745 people work in the Custodial Working occupation (OPM code 3566) across federal agencies, 0.6% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -6.0% from the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.

Custodial Working pays $45,779 per year on average, 58.3% below the $109,869 federal civilian average, after moving up 1.7% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 7.3 years, a comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce.

Code 35, the General Services and Support Work Family family, is where the federal government classifies Custodial Working alongside 4 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Custodial Working 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.

Inside the General Services and Support Work Family family (5 occupations, 14,646 employees combined), Custodial Working holds the #1 spot by headcount, a 87.0% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (0th percentile) of pay among General Services and Support Work Family occupations.