Able Seaman
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Able Seaman occupation series (code 9924), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Able Seaman is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 338 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. At an average salary of $51,760 it pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- 0.0%
- Pay change
- +0.1%
- Avg tenure
- 12.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #5 of 55
What the Numbers Say About Able Seaman
On pay, the move between reporting periods was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change. On length of service, this series shows a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Headcount moved sideways 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.
Code 99, the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, is where the federal government classifies Able Seaman alongside 54 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Able Seaman postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. Able Seaman makes up 5.0% of the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family's 6,786 combined employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Able Seaman pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$51,760
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-55.9%
Where Able Seaman ranks on lean federal pay
Able Seaman earns more on average than 7% of federal occupation series (37 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Able Seaman sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Able Seaman.
Related Occupations in Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System)
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steward Utilityman | 646 | n/a | 5.1 yrs |
| Ordinary Seaman | 619 | $42,990 | 2.5 yrs |
| Able Seaman-Maintenance | 556 | n/a | 11.2 yrs |
| Wiper | 449 | $42,656 | 2.9 yrs |
| Engine Utilityman | 283 | n/a | 8.5 yrs |
| Third Officer | 249 | n/a | 4.2 yrs |
| Boatswain's Mate | 199 | $60,969 | 16.9 yrs |
| Assistant Storekeeper | 194 | n/a | 6.1 yrs |
| Second Assistant Engineer | 186 | $107,628 | 13.5 yrs |
| Third Assistant Engineer | 184 | $95,672 | 6.9 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Able Seaman outside the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (338 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($51,760 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Able Seaman 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 Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family occupations in the table above, or search current Able Seaman 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.