Medical Instrument Technician

What the Numbers Say About Medical Instrument Technician

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 4,378 people work in the Medical Instrument Technician occupation (OPM code 649) across federal agencies, 0.2% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -1.7% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Average tenure in Medical Instrument Technician runs 9.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $78,920 per year, 28.2% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.8% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

Medical Instrument Technician sits inside the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 6), which contains 45 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Medical Instrument Technician postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Medical Instrument Technician ranks #15 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 1.2% of the family's combined 356,984 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (33rd percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.