Heat Treating
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Heat Treating occupation series (code 3712).
The verdict
With 46 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Heat Treating ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Metal Processing Family family, and headcount grew 2.2% from the prior period. Its average salary of $79,709 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 46
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $79,709
- Avg tenure
- 16.9 yrs
FedScope read on Heat Treating (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Heat Treating occupation (OPM code 3712): 46 people, headcount up 2.2% 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.
Heat Treating pays $79,709 per year on average, moving down -0.5% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 16.9 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Heat Treating sits inside the Metal Processing Family family (code 37), which contains 9 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Heat Treating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Metal Processing Family family.
Heat Treating makes up 1.2% of the 3,792 employees across the Metal Processing Family family, ranking #7 of 9 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary Context
How Heat Treating pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$79,709
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-32.1%
Where Heat Treating ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $79,709 is higher than 36% of federal occupation series (194 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Heat Treating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Heat Treating ranks higher than 36%.
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 |
| Battery Repairing | 13 | $72,252 | 19.5 yrs |
| Buffing and Polishing | 6 | $84,749 | 16.4 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Heat Treating 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 (46 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($79,709 here).
Key takeaways
- Heat Treating pays below the federal average by 32.1% ($79,709 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 36th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 46 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 2.2% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Heat Treating ranks #548 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Heat Treating makes up 1.2% of the 3,792 employees across the Metal Processing Family family, ranking #7 of 9 occupations in that family by headcount.
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.