Sheet Metal Mechanic

What the Numbers Say About Sheet Metal Mechanic

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 5,876 people work in the Sheet Metal Mechanic occupation (OPM code 3806) across federal agencies, 0.3% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -2.5% from the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.

The average salary for Sheet Metal Mechanic is $73,355 per year, placing it 33.2% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.8% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 10 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 38, the Metal Work Family family, is where the federal government classifies Sheet Metal Mechanic alongside 6 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Sheet Metal Mechanic 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 Metal Work Family family (7 occupations, 8,014 employees combined), Sheet Metal Mechanic holds the #1 spot by headcount, a 73.3% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (29th percentile) of pay among Metal Work Family occupations.