Patternmaking

What the Numbers Say About Patternmaking

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Patternmaking occupation (OPM code 4616): 26 people, headcount up 4.0% 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.

Average tenure in Patternmaking runs 15.5 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Pay averages $87,402 per year, 20.4% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.3% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

Patternmaking sits inside the Wood Work Family family (code 46), which contains 6 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Patternmaking 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.

Inside the Wood Work Family family (6 occupations, 2,004 employees combined), Patternmaking holds the #6 spot by headcount, a 1.3% share of the family total.