Shipfitting
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Shipfitting occupation series (code 3820).
The verdict
With 1,201 employees (0.1% of the federal civilian workforce), Shipfitting ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Metal Work Family family, and headcount grew from the prior period. Its average salary of $86,635 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- +1.4%
- Pay change
- +0.4%
- Avg tenure
- 10.3 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 7
FedScope read on Shipfitting (dense 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, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
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 in the Metal Work Family family. Shipfitting makes up 16.7% of the Metal Work Family family's 7,198 combined employees. Its average salary ranks right at the midpoint of pay among Metal Work Family occupations.
Salary Context
How Shipfitting pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$86,635
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-26.2%
Where Shipfitting ranks on federal pay
Shipfitting earns more on average than 42% of federal occupation series (227 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Shipfitting sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Shipfitting.
Related Occupations in Metal Work Family
6 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet Metal Mechanic | 5,196 | $91,094 | 11.5 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Metal Work | 332 | $83,924 | 13.6 yrs |
| Metal Forming Machine Operating | 253 | $72,043 | 10.9 yrs |
| Mobile Equipment Metal Mechanic | 109 | $95,960 | 12.2 yrs |
| Boilermaking | 85 | n/a | 10.8 yrs |
| Metal Forging | 22 | $85,880 | 11 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Shipfitting outside the Metal Work Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (1,201 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($86,635 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Shipfitting 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 Metal Work Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Shipfitting 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.