Locomotive Engineering
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Locomotive Engineering occupation series (code 5737).
The verdict
With 56 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Locomotive Engineering ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family. Its average salary of $60,683 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- 0.0%
- Pay change
- +1.3%
- Avg tenure
- 14.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #12 of 15
FedScope read on Locomotive Engineering (thin 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 sideways 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. As for pay, the latest move was a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement.
Locomotive Engineering sits inside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family (code 57), which contains 15 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Locomotive Engineering postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family. Across the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, 9,311 employees work in 15 occupations; Locomotive Engineering is 0.6% of that headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Locomotive Engineering pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$60,683
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-48.3%
Where Locomotive Engineering ranks on lean federal pay
Locomotive Engineering earns more on average than 15% of federal occupation series (82 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Locomotive Engineering sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Locomotive Engineering.
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 |
| Engineering Equipment Operating | 2,691 | $78,062 | 13.2 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 |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Locomotive Engineering outside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation 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 (56 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($60,683 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Locomotive Engineering 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 Locomotive Engineering 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.