Transportation Operations

What the Numbers Say About Transportation Operations

0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Transportation Operations occupation (OPM code 2150): 2,202 people, headcount down -1.2% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Average tenure in Transportation Operations runs 13.5 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $99,784 per year, 9.2% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.2% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

Code 21, the Transportation Group family, is where the federal government classifies Transportation Operations alongside 18 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Transportation Operations 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 Transportation Group family, Transportation Operations ranks #5 of 19 by headcount, accounting for 5.0% of the family's combined 44,430 employees. Its average salary ranks in the top half (53rd percentile) of pay among Transportation Group occupations.