Toolmaking

What the Numbers Say About Toolmaking

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Toolmaking occupation (OPM code 3416): 408 people, headcount down -3.1% 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 14.2 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $87,462 per year, 20.4% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.7% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

Toolmaking sits inside the Machine Tool Work Family family (code 34), which contains 3 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Toolmaking 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.

Within the Machine Tool Work Family family, Toolmaking is one of the top 3 occupations by headcount (#2), accounting for 10.8% of the family's combined 3,795 employees.