Tractor Operating
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Tractor Operating occupation series (code 5705): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
In the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, Tractor Operating counts 437 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount edged up from the prior period; pay averages $60,593, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +0.5%
- Pay change
- -0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 11.6 yrs
- Rank in family
- #5 of 15
What the Numbers Say About Tractor Operating
For job seekers weighing career length: 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, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend. As for pay, the latest move was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Tractor Operating sits inside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family (code 57), which contains 15 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Tractor Operating postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family. The Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family totals 9,311 employees, and Tractor Operating accounts for 4.7% of them.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Tractor Operating pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$60,593
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-48.4%
Where Tractor Operating ranks on lean federal pay
Tractor Operating earns more on average than 15% of federal occupation series (80 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Tractor Operating sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Tractor Operating.
Related Occupations in Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Operating | 4,012 | $61,944 | 12.6 yrs |
| Engineering Equipment Operating | 2,691 | $78,062 | 13.2 yrs |
| Crane Operating | 616 | $90,118 | 13.9 yrs |
| Misc Transportation/mobile Equipment Oper | 512 | $60,267 | 13 yrs |
| Small Craft Operating | 225 | $76,720 | 12.5 yrs |
| Deckhand | 192 | $66,505 | 7.3 yrs |
| Ship Operating | 129 | $101,346 | 14.4 yrs |
| Fork Lift Operating | 126 | $67,848 | 12.4 yrs |
| Riverboat Operating | 120 | n/a | 15 yrs |
| Drill Rig Operating | 78 | $75,988 | 10.3 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Tractor Operating outside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (437 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($60,593 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Tractor Operating 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 Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Tractor Operating 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.