Metal Forming Machine Operating
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Metal Forming Machine Operating occupation series (code 3869).
The verdict
With 253 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Metal Forming Machine Operating ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Metal Work Family family, and headcount edged down from the prior period. Its average salary of $72,043 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -0.8%
- Pay change
- +0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 10.9 yrs
- Rank in family
- #4 of 7
What the Numbers Say About Metal Forming Machine Operating
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved down 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.
The Metal Work Family family (code 38) groups Metal Forming Machine Operating together with 6 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Metal Forming Machine Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Metal Work Family family. Metal Forming Machine Operating makes up 3.5% of the Metal Work Family family's 7,198 combined employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Metal Forming Machine Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$72,043
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-38.6%
Where Metal Forming Machine Operating ranks on lean federal pay
Metal Forming Machine Operating earns more on average than 28% of federal occupation series (152 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Metal Forming Machine Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Metal Forming Machine Operating.
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 |
| Mobile Equipment Metal Mechanic | 109 | $95,960 | 12.2 yrs |
| Boilermaking | 85 | n/a | 10.8 yrs |
| Metal Forging | 22 | $85,880 | 11 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Metal Forming Machine Operating outside the Metal Work Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (253 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($72,043 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Metal Forming Machine Operating pay in context with the pay-rank chart above, then compare it with another occupation.
- Turn an average salary into a grade: the GS pay grade tables show how grades and steps map to pay.
- Browse the Metal Work Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Metal Forming Machine Operating postings on USAJOBS.
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.