Deckhand
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Deckhand occupation series (code 5788).
The verdict
In the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, Deckhand counts 192 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew from the prior period; pay averages $66,505, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- +3.8%
- Pay change
- -0.7%
- Avg tenure
- 7.3 yrs
- Rank in family
- #7 of 15
What the Numbers Say About Deckhand
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. Pay moved down between the two reporting periods, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. On length of service, this series shows a comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce.
Deckhand sits inside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family (code 57), which contains 15 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Deckhand postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family. Deckhand makes up 2.1% of the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family's 9,311 combined employees.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Deckhand pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$66,505
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-43.3%
Where Deckhand ranks on lean federal pay
Deckhand earns more on average than 21% of federal occupation series (116 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Deckhand sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Deckhand.
Related Occupations in Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Vehicle Operating | 4,012 | $61,944 | 12.6 yrs |
| Engineering Equipment Operating | 2,691 | $78,062 | 13.2 yrs |
| Crane Operating | 616 | $90,118 | 13.9 yrs |
| Misc Transportation/mobile Equipment Oper | 512 | $60,267 | 13 yrs |
| Tractor Operating | 437 | $60,593 | 11.6 yrs |
| Small Craft Operating | 225 | $76,720 | 12.5 yrs |
| Ship Operating | 129 | $101,346 | 14.4 yrs |
| Fork Lift Operating | 126 | $67,848 | 12.4 yrs |
| Riverboat Operating | 120 | n/a | 15 yrs |
| Drill Rig Operating | 78 | $75,988 | 10.3 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Deckhand outside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (192 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($66,505 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Deckhand 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 Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family occupations in the table above, or search current Deckhand 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.