Chief Cook
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Chief Cook occupation series (code 9971), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
In the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, Chief Cook counts 55 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew from the prior period; pay averages $58,555, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +7.8%
- Pay change
- -0.2%
- Avg tenure
- 13.3 yrs
- Rank in family
- #35 of 55
FedScope read on Chief Cook (thin series)
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 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.
The Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (code 99) groups Chief Cook together with 54 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Chief Cook postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. Across the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, 6,786 employees work in 55 occupations; Chief Cook is 0.8% of that headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Chief Cook pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$58,555
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-50.1%
Where Chief Cook ranks on lean federal pay
Chief Cook earns more on average than 13% of federal occupation series (69 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Chief Cook sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Chief Cook.
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 |
| Able Seaman | 338 | $51,760 | 12.1 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 |
Nationwide peers near this thin headcount
Two peer sets for Chief Cook 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 thin headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (55 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($58,555 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Chief Cook 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 Chief Cook 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.