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 $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 56
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $60,683
- Avg tenure
- 14.1 yrs
FedScope read on Locomotive Engineering (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Locomotive Engineering occupation (OPM code 5737): 56 people, headcount sideways 0.0% 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.
Locomotive Engineering pays $60,683 per year on average, moving up 1.3% from the prior period (a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement). Employees in this role stay an average of 14.1 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
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.
Inside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family (15 occupations, 9,311 employees combined), Locomotive Engineering holds the #12 spot by headcount, a 0.6% share of the family total.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Locomotive Engineering pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$60,683
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-48.3%
Where Locomotive Engineering ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $60,683 is higher 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; Locomotive Engineering ranks higher than 15%.
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
- Locomotive Engineering pays below the federal average by 48.3% ($60,683 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 15th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 56 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Locomotive Engineering ranks #526 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family (15 occupations, 9,311 employees combined), Locomotive Engineering holds the #12 spot by headcount, a 0.6% share of the family total.
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.