PlainGovJobs
OPM FedScope March 2025 Armament Work Family

Special Weapons Systems Mechanic

Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Special Weapons Systems Mechanic occupation series (code 6656), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (March 2025).

The verdict

Special Weapons Systems Mechanic is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 36 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Armament Work Family family. At an average salary of $78,140 it pays below the federal average of $109,869.

Employees
36
Share of workforce
0.0%
Avg salary
$78,140
Avg tenure
11 yrs

What the Numbers Say About Special Weapons Systems Mechanic

Federal agencies employ 36 people in the Special Weapons Systems Mechanic occupation (OPM code 6656), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved sideways by 0.0% 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.

Average tenure in Special Weapons Systems Mechanic runs 11 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $78,140 per year, 28.9% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 6.8% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

Special Weapons Systems Mechanic sits inside the Armament Work Family family (code 66), which contains 6 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Special Weapons Systems 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 Armament Work Family family (6 occupations, 2,175 employees combined), Special Weapons Systems Mechanic holds the #6 spot by headcount, a 1.7% share of the family total.

Employees

36

0.0% from prior period

Average Salary

$78,140

+6.8%

Avg Length of Service

11 yrs

Occupation Family

Armament Work Family

Salary Context

How Special Weapons Systems Mechanic pay compares to the federal average of $109,869

Occupation Average

$78,140

Federal Average

$109,869

vs. Federal Avg

-28.9%

Where Special Weapons Systems Mechanic ranks on federal pay

Its average salary of $78,140 is higher than 43% of federal occupation series (274 of 634). The highlighted bar marks where Special Weapons Systems Mechanic sits in the federal pay distribution.

$16,074132$63,787308$111,499167$159,21223$206,9242$254,6372
Distribution of average salary across all 634 federal occupation series (OPM FedScope) - Special Weapons Systems Mechanic is in the highlighted range.

Average-salary distribution across all 634 federal occupation series; Special Weapons Systems Mechanic ranks higher than 43%.

Source: OPM FedScope Employment Cubes As of March 2025

5 other occupations in the same family

Occupation Employees Avg Salary
Aircraft Ordnance Systems Mechanic 812 $86,890
Ordnance Equipment Mechanic 608 $80,762
Small Arms Repairing 488 $66,521
Artillery Repairing 161 $67,956
Miscellaneous Armament Work 70 $79,479

Frequently Asked Questions

How many federal employees work as Special Weapons Systems Mechanic?
Special Weapons Systems Mechanic employs 36 federal workers as of March 2025, a 0.0% share of the total federal civilian workforce.
What is the average salary for Special Weapons Systems Mechanic in the federal government?
The average salary for Special Weapons Systems Mechanic in the federal government is $78,140 per year, which is 28.9% below the overall federal average of $109,869.
What occupation family does Special Weapons Systems Mechanic belong to?
Occupation code 6656, Special Weapons Systems Mechanic, sits within the 6-occupation Armament Work Family family (code 66).
What is the average length of service for Special Weapons Systems Mechanic?
Federal employees in the Special Weapons Systems Mechanic occupation have an average length of service of 11 years. The federal-wide average is 11.8 years.
Is the Special Weapons Systems Mechanic workforce growing or shrinking?
The Special Weapons Systems Mechanic workforce has remained stable with 36 employees.
How does Special Weapons Systems Mechanic pay compare to private sector salaries?
The federal average salary for Special Weapons Systems Mechanic is $78,140, 28.9% below the $109,869 federal-wide average. For private-sector benchmarks in this field, see the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program.

Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGovJobs

PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope occupation-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.