Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating occupation series (code 5738): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 29 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, and headcount grew 3.6% from the prior period. Its average salary of $76,134 pays below the $117,339 federal average.
- Employees
- 29
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $76,134
- Avg tenure
- 12.1 yrs
FedScope read on Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating occupation (OPM code 5738): 29 people, headcount up 3.6% 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.
Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating pays $76,134 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 12.1 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
The Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family (code 57) groups Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating together with 14 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family.
Within the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating ranks #15 of 15 by headcount, accounting for 0.3% of the family's combined 9,311 employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$76,134
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-35.1%
Where Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $76,134 is higher than 33% of federal occupation series (177 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating ranks higher than 33%.
Related Occupations in Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Operating | 4,012 | $61,944 | 12.6 yrs |
| Engineering Equipment Operating | 2,691 | $78,062 | 13.2 yrs |
| Crane Operating | 616 | $90,118 | 13.9 yrs |
| Misc Transportation/mobile Equipment Oper | 512 | $60,267 | 13 yrs |
| Tractor Operating | 437 | $60,593 | 11.6 yrs |
| Small Craft Operating | 225 | $76,720 | 12.5 yrs |
| Deckhand | 192 | $66,505 | 7.3 yrs |
| Ship Operating | 129 | $101,346 | 14.4 yrs |
| Fork Lift Operating | 126 | $67,848 | 12.4 yrs |
| Riverboat Operating | 120 | n/a | 15 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating outside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation 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 (29 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($76,134 here).
Key takeaways
- Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating pays below the federal average by 35.1% ($76,134 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 33rd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 29 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 3.6% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating ranks #584 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating ranks #15 of 15 by headcount, accounting for 0.3% of the family's combined 9,311 employees.
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.