General Equipment Operating
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the General Equipment Operating occupation series (code 4741), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the General Maintenance and Operations Work Family family, General Equipment Operating counts 26 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 3.7% from the prior period; pay averages $81,524, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 26
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $81,524
- Avg tenure
- 18.2 yrs
FedScope read on General Equipment Operating (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the General Equipment Operating occupation (OPM code 4741): 26 people, headcount down -3.7% 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 average salary for General Equipment Operating is $81,524 per year. Salaries moved up by 2.9% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 18.2 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
The General Maintenance and Operations Work Family family (code 47) groups General Equipment Operating together with 9 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for General Equipment Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the General Maintenance and Operations Work Family family.
Within the General Maintenance and Operations Work Family family, General Equipment Operating ranks #8 of 10 by headcount, accounting for 0.2% of the family's combined 15,982 employees.
Salary Context
How General Equipment Operating pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$81,524
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-30.5%
Where General Equipment Operating ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $81,524 is higher than 38% of federal occupation series (204 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where General Equipment Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; General Equipment Operating ranks higher than 38%.
Related Occupations in General Maintenance and Operations Work Family
9 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance Mechanic | 10,441 | $73,094 | 11.9 yrs |
| Misc General Maintenance & Operations Work | 2,599 | $93,724 | 16.5 yrs |
| Utility Systems Repairing-Operating | 1,983 | $84,204 | 13.2 yrs |
| Cemetery Caretaking | 644 | $63,552 | 8.6 yrs |
| General Equipment Mechanic | 140 | $75,100 | 15.4 yrs |
| Model Making | 91 | $93,472 | 14.8 yrs |
| Boat Building and Repairing | 34 | $74,449 | 13.3 yrs |
| Exhibits Making/modeling | 16 | n/a | 17.5 yrs |
| Research Laboratory Mechanic | 8 | $83,825 | 13 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for General Equipment Operating outside the General Maintenance and Operations 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 (26 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($81,524 here).
Key takeaways
- General Equipment Operating pays below the federal average by 30.5% ($81,524 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 38th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 26 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 3.7% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, General Equipment Operating ranks #593 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the General Maintenance and Operations Work Family family, General Equipment Operating ranks #8 of 10 by headcount, accounting for 0.2% of the family's combined 15,982 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.