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 7.8% from the prior period; pay averages $58,555, which pays below the federal-wide $117,339.
- Employees
- 55
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $58,555
- Avg tenure
- 13.3 yrs
FedScope read on Chief Cook (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Chief Cook occupation (OPM code 9971): 55 people, headcount up 7.8% 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.
Chief Cook pays $58,555 per year on average, moving down -0.2% from the prior period (a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change). Employees in this role stay an average of 13.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.
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.
Within the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, Chief Cook ranks #35 of 55 by headcount, accounting for 0.8% of the family's combined 6,786 employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Chief Cook pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$58,555
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-50.1%
Where Chief Cook ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $58,555 is higher 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; Chief Cook ranks higher than 13%.
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
- Chief Cook pays below the federal average by 50.1% ($58,555 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 13th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 55 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 7.8% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Chief Cook ranks #529 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Within the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, Chief Cook ranks #35 of 55 by headcount, accounting for 0.8% of the family's combined 6,786 employees.
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.