Non-Destructive Testing
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Non-Destructive Testing occupation series (code 3705), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Non-Destructive Testing is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 904 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Metal Processing Family family. At an average salary of $98,385 it pays below the federal average, and headcount edged up from the prior period.
- Headcount change
- +0.3%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 10.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 9
FedScope read on Non-Destructive Testing (dense series)
Headcount moved up versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path. Pay moved sideways between the two reporting periods, 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.
The Metal Processing Family family (code 37) groups Non-Destructive Testing together with 8 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Non-Destructive Testing postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Metal Processing Family family. The Metal Processing Family family totals 3,792 employees, and Non-Destructive Testing accounts for 23.8% of them. Its average salary ranks in the top half (80th percentile) of pay among Metal Processing Family occupations.
Salary Context
How Non-Destructive Testing pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$98,385
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-16.2%
Where Non-Destructive Testing ranks on federal pay
Non-Destructive Testing earns more on average than 53% of federal occupation series (286 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Non-Destructive Testing sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Non-Destructive Testing.
Related Occupations in Metal Processing Family
8 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welding | 2,325 | $87,563 | 11.4 yrs |
| Electroplating | 272 | n/a | 10.7 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Metal Processing | 102 | n/a | 12.4 yrs |
| Metalizing | 70 | n/a | 14.8 yrs |
| Shot Peening Machine Operating | 54 | n/a | 16.9 yrs |
| Heat Treating | 46 | $79,709 | 16.9 yrs |
| Battery Repairing | 13 | $72,252 | 19.5 yrs |
| Buffing and Polishing | 6 | $84,749 | 16.4 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Non-Destructive Testing outside the Metal Processing Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (904 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($98,385 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Non-Destructive Testing 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 Processing Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Non-Destructive Testing 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.