Medical Instrument Technician
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Medical Instrument Technician occupation series (code 0649), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Medical Instrument Technician counts 4,294 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.3% from the prior period; pay averages $81,258, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 4,294
- Share of workforce
- 0.2%
- Avg salary
- $81,258
- Avg tenure
- 10.8 yrs
FedScope read on Medical Instrument Technician (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 4,294 people work in the Medical Instrument Technician occupation (OPM code 0649) across federal agencies, 0.2% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -0.3% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
Average tenure in Medical Instrument Technician runs 10.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $81,258 per year, up 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.
Medical Instrument Technician sits inside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 06), which contains 45 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Medical Instrument Technician postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family.
Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Medical Instrument Technician ranks #14 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 1.3% of the family's combined 339,162 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (33rd percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.
Salary Context
How Medical Instrument Technician pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$81,258
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-30.7%
Where Medical Instrument Technician ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $81,258 is higher than 37% of federal occupation series (202 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Medical Instrument Technician sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Medical Instrument Technician ranks higher than 37%.
Related Occupations in Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | 106,218 | $132,267 | 10.2 yrs |
| Medical Support Assistance | 39,856 | $58,279 | 8.2 yrs |
| Medical Officer | 34,687 | $301,569 | 11.6 yrs |
| General Health Science | 17,434 | $133,765 | 11.9 yrs |
| Practical Nurse | 16,755 | $75,898 | 10.4 yrs |
| Pharmacist | 14,529 | $167,390 | 11.1 yrs |
| Nursing Assistant | 14,498 | $55,851 | 7.8 yrs |
| Health Aid and Technician | 12,490 | $61,276 | 10.8 yrs |
| Health System Specialist | 7,966 | $110,534 | 15.9 yrs |
| Pharmacy Technician | 7,658 | $70,794 | 9.5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Medical Instrument Technician outside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health 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 (4,294 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($81,258 here).
Key takeaways
- Medical Instrument Technician pays below the federal average by 30.7% ($81,258 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 37th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 4,294 employees, 0.2% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 0.3% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Medical Instrument Technician ranks #97 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Medical Instrument Technician ranks #14 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 1.3% of the family's combined 339,162 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.