Metal Forging
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Metal Forging occupation series (code 3802): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Metal Forging is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 22 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Metal Work Family family. At an average salary of $85,880 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 4.3% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 22
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $85,880
- Avg tenure
- 11 yrs
FedScope read on Metal Forging (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Metal Forging occupation (OPM code 3802): 22 people, headcount down -4.3% 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.
Metal Forging pays $85,880 per year on average, moving down 0.0% from the prior period (a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change). Employees in this role stay an average of 11 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
Code 38, the Metal Work Family family, is where the federal government classifies Metal Forging alongside 6 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Metal Forging postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Metal Work Family family.
Inside the Metal Work Family family (7 occupations, 7,198 employees combined), Metal Forging holds the #7 spot by headcount, a 0.3% share of the family total.
Salary Context
How Metal Forging pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$85,880
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-26.8%
Where Metal Forging ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $85,880 is higher than 42% of federal occupation series (226 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Metal Forging sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Metal Forging ranks higher than 42%.
Related Occupations in Metal Work Family
6 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet Metal Mechanic | 5,196 | $91,094 | 11.5 yrs |
| Shipfitting | 1,201 | $86,635 | 10.3 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Metal Work | 332 | $83,924 | 13.6 yrs |
| Metal Forming Machine Operating | 253 | $72,043 | 10.9 yrs |
| Mobile Equipment Metal Mechanic | 109 | $95,960 | 12.2 yrs |
| Boilermaking | 85 | n/a | 10.8 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Metal Forging outside the Metal Work 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 (22 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($85,880 here).
Key takeaways
- Metal Forging pays below the federal average by 26.8% ($85,880 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 42nd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 22 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 4.3% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Metal Forging ranks #601 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Metal Work Family family (7 occupations, 7,198 employees combined), Metal Forging holds the #7 spot by headcount, a 0.3% 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.