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 from the prior period. Its average salary of $76,134 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- +3.6%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 12.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #15 of 15
FedScope read on Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating (thin series)
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 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 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. The Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family totals 9,311 employees, and Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating accounts for 0.3% of them.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$76,134
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-35.1%
Where Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating ranks on lean federal pay
Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating earns more on average 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; the highlighted bar marks Railroad Maintenance Vehicle Operating.
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
- Place Railroad Maintenance Vehicle 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 Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Railroad Maintenance Vehicle 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.