Welding

What the Numbers Say About Welding

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 2,478 people work in the Welding occupation (OPM code 3703) across federal agencies, 0.1% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -1.3% from the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Welding is $78,624 per year, placing it 28.4% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.4% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 9.9 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Metal Processing Family family (code 37) groups Welding together with 7 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Welding 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.

Welding makes up 61.7% of the 4,013 employees across the Metal Processing Family family, ranking #1 of 8 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (88th percentile) of pay among Metal Processing Family occupations.