Miscellaneous Metal Work
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Miscellaneous Metal Work occupation series (code 3801), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Metal Work Family family, Miscellaneous Metal Work counts 332 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount edged up from the prior period; pay averages $83,924, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +0.9%
- Pay change
- -0.6%
- Avg tenure
- 13.6 yrs
- Rank in family
- #3 of 7
What the Numbers Say About Miscellaneous Metal Work
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. 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 up 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 Miscellaneous Metal Work together with 6 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Miscellaneous Metal Work postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Metal Work Family family. The Metal Work Family family totals 7,198 employees, and Miscellaneous Metal Work accounts for 4.6% of them.
Salary Context
How Miscellaneous Metal Work pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$83,924
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-28.5%
Where Miscellaneous Metal Work ranks on federal pay
Miscellaneous Metal Work earns more on average than 40% of federal occupation series (215 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Miscellaneous Metal Work sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Miscellaneous Metal Work.
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 |
| 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 |
| Metal Forging | 22 | $85,880 | 11 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Miscellaneous Metal Work 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 (332 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($83,924 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Miscellaneous Metal Work 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 Miscellaneous Metal Work 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.