Shipfitting

What the Numbers Say About Shipfitting

Federal agencies employ 1,204 people in the Shipfitting occupation (OPM code 3820), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -2.1% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Shipfitting is $81,238 per year, placing it 26.1% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 3.3% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 9.2 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 Shipfitting alongside 6 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Shipfitting 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), Shipfitting holds the #2 spot by headcount, a 15.0% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the top half (86th percentile) of pay among Metal Work Family occupations.