Hand Composing

What the Numbers Say About Hand Composing

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Hand Composing occupation (OPM code 4403): 140 people, headcount down -4.1% 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 Hand Composing is $101,590 per year, placing it 7.5% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 4.6% 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 14.7 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 Hand Composing together with 8 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Hand Composing 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.

Hand Composing makes up 13.3% of the 1,052 employees across the Printing Family family, ranking #4 of 9 occupations in that family by headcount.