Materials Engineering
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Materials Engineering occupation series (code 0806), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 1,138 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce), Materials Engineering ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Engineering and Architecture Group family, and headcount declined 1.2% from the prior period. Its average salary of $153,992 pays well above the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 1,138
- Share of workforce
- 0.1%
- Avg salary
- $153,992
- Avg tenure
- 15.1 yrs
FedScope read on Materials Engineering (dense series)
0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Materials Engineering occupation (OPM code 0806): 1,138 people, headcount down -1.2% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The average salary for Materials Engineering is $153,992 per year. Salaries moved down by -0.1% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. Average length of service in this role is 15.1 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
The Engineering and Architecture Group family (code 08) groups Materials Engineering together with 28 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Materials Engineering postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Engineering and Architecture Group family.
Materials Engineering makes up 0.9% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #15 of 29 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (74th percentile) of pay among Engineering and Architecture Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Materials Engineering pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$153,992
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+31.2%
Where Materials Engineering ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $153,992 is higher than 90% of federal occupation series (487 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Materials Engineering sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Materials Engineering ranks higher than 90%.
Related Occupations in Engineering and Architecture Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Engineering | 27,619 | $158,941 | 16.9 yrs |
| Engineering Technical | 14,443 | $93,062 | 15.2 yrs |
| Mechanical Engineering | 12,920 | $136,601 | 11.9 yrs |
| Electronics Engineering | 12,889 | $155,270 | 16.8 yrs |
| Civil Engineering | 10,260 | $124,230 | 14.7 yrs |
| Aerospace Engineering | 8,359 | $155,848 | 14.8 yrs |
| Electronics Technical | 7,298 | $103,713 | 15.6 yrs |
| Electrical Engineering | 5,231 | $142,419 | 13.5 yrs |
| Computer Engineering | 3,753 | $160,672 | 14.2 yrs |
| Nuclear Engineering | 2,813 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Materials Engineering outside the Engineering and Architecture Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (1,138 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($153,992 here).
Key takeaways
- Materials Engineering pays well above the federal average by 31.2% ($153,992 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 90th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 1,138 employees, 0.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.2% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Materials Engineering ranks #199 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Materials Engineering makes up 0.9% of the 120,278 employees across the Engineering and Architecture Group family, ranking #15 of 29 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.