Toolmaking
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Toolmaking occupation series (code 3416), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Toolmaking is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 394 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Machine Tool Work Family family. At an average salary of $87,012 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 1.0% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 394
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $87,012
- Avg tenure
- 15.3 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Toolmaking
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Toolmaking occupation (OPM code 3416): 394 people, headcount up 1.0% 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 Toolmaking runs 15.3 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement. Pay averages $87,012 per year, up 0.3% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Toolmaking sits inside the Machine Tool Work Family family (code 34), which contains 4 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Toolmaking postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Machine Tool Work Family family.
Within the Machine Tool Work Family family, Toolmaking is one of the top 4 occupations by headcount (#2), accounting for 11.0% of the family's combined 3,567 employees.
Salary Context
How Toolmaking pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$87,012
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-25.8%
Where Toolmaking ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $87,012 is higher than 43% of federal occupation series (230 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Toolmaking sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Toolmaking ranks higher than 43%.
Related Occupations in Machine Tool Work Family
3 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machining | 2,942 | $92,123 | 11.2 yrs |
| Miscellaneous Machine Tool Work | 230 | $91,088 | 17.2 yrs |
| Die Sinking | 1 | n/a | 19.7 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Toolmaking outside the Machine Tool Work Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (394 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($87,012 here).
Key takeaways
- Toolmaking pays below the federal average by 25.8% ($87,012 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 43rd percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 394 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 1.0% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Toolmaking ranks #319 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Machine Tool Work Family family, Toolmaking is one of the top 4 occupations by headcount (#2), accounting for 11.0% of the family's combined 3,567 employees.
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.