Materials Handler
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Materials Handler occupation series (code 6907), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
With 5,317 employees (0.3% of the federal civilian workforce), Materials Handler ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Warehousing and Stock Handling Family family, and headcount declined 8.9% from the prior period. Its average salary of $67,371 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 5,317
- Share of workforce
- 0.3%
- Avg salary
- $67,371
- Avg tenure
- 12.1 yrs
FedScope read on Materials Handler (dense series)
Federal agencies employ 5,317 people in the Materials Handler occupation (OPM code 6907), accounting for 0.3% of the total federal civilian workforce of 1,953,300 for the June 2026 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -8.9% versus the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.
The average salary for Materials Handler is $67,371 per year. Salaries moved up 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 12.1 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Materials Handler sits inside the Warehousing and Stock Handling Family family (code 69), which contains 9 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Materials Handler postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Warehousing and Stock Handling Family family.
Within the Warehousing and Stock Handling Family family, Materials Handler is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 52.2% of the family's combined 10,194 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (63rd percentile) of pay among Warehousing and Stock Handling Family occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Materials Handler pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$67,371
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-42.6%
Where Materials Handler ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $67,371 is higher than 22% of federal occupation series (121 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Materials Handler sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Materials Handler ranks higher than 22%.
Related Occupations in Warehousing and Stock Handling Family
8 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Store Working | 1,980 | $51,622 | 9.7 yrs |
| Tools and Parts Attending | 888 | $64,659 | 9.7 yrs |
| Materials Expediting | 821 | $62,168 | 10.4 yrs |
| Materials Examining and Identifying | 560 | $61,924 | 10.5 yrs |
| Hazardous Waste Disposing | 212 | $58,478 | 11.5 yrs |
| Aircraft Freight Loading | 165 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
| Misc Warehousing and Stock Handling | 131 | $73,379 | 11.9 yrs |
| Bulk Money Handling | 120 | $69,330 | 16 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Materials Handler outside the Warehousing and Stock Handling Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (5,317 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($67,371 here).
Key takeaways
- Materials Handler pays below the federal average by 42.6% ($67,371 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 22nd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 5,317 employees, 0.3% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 8.9% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Materials Handler ranks #77 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Warehousing and Stock Handling Family family, Materials Handler is the single largest occupation by headcount, accounting for 52.2% of the family's combined 10,194 employees.
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.