Engineering Equipment Operating
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Engineering Equipment Operating occupation series (code 5716).
The verdict
With 2,691 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce), Engineering Equipment Operating ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, and headcount edged up from the prior period. Its average salary of $78,062 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- +0.5%
- Pay change
- +0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 13.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 15
FedScope read on Engineering Equipment Operating (dense 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 up 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 57, the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, is where the federal government classifies Engineering Equipment Operating alongside 14 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Engineering Equipment Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family. The Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family totals 9,311 employees, and Engineering Equipment Operating accounts for 28.9% of them. Its average salary ranks in the top half (75th percentile) of pay among Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family occupations.
Salary Context
How Engineering Equipment Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$78,062
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-33.5%
Where Engineering Equipment Operating ranks on federal pay
Engineering Equipment Operating earns more on average than 34% of federal occupation series (186 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Engineering Equipment Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Engineering Equipment Operating.
Related Occupations in Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Operating | 4,012 | $61,944 | 12.6 yrs |
| Crane Operating | 616 | $90,118 | 13.9 yrs |
| Misc Transportation/mobile Equipment Oper | 512 | $60,267 | 13 yrs |
| Tractor Operating | 437 | $60,593 | 11.6 yrs |
| Small Craft Operating | 225 | $76,720 | 12.5 yrs |
| Deckhand | 192 | $66,505 | 7.3 yrs |
| Ship Operating | 129 | $101,346 | 14.4 yrs |
| Fork Lift Operating | 126 | $67,848 | 12.4 yrs |
| Riverboat Operating | 120 | n/a | 15 yrs |
| Drill Rig Operating | 78 | $75,988 | 10.3 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Engineering Equipment Operating outside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (2,691 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($78,062 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Engineering Equipment 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 Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Engineering Equipment 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.