Chief Steward
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Chief Steward occupation series (code 9968).
The verdict
With 54 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Chief Steward ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, and headcount grew from the prior period. Its average salary of $69,845 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- +1.9%
- Pay change
- -0.5%
- Avg tenure
- 13.4 yrs
- Rank in family
- #36 of 55
FedScope read on Chief Steward (thin series)
For job seekers weighing career length: 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. As for pay, the latest move was a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement.
Code 99, the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, is where the federal government classifies Chief Steward alongside 54 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Chief Steward postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. Chief Steward makes up 0.8% of the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family's 6,786 combined employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Chief Steward pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$69,845
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-40.5%
Where Chief Steward ranks on lean federal pay
Chief Steward earns more on average than 26% of federal occupation series (139 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Chief Steward sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Chief Steward.
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 Steward 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 (54 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($69,845 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Chief Steward 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 Steward 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.