First Assistant Engineer
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the First Assistant Engineer occupation series (code 9932).
The verdict
With 101 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), First Assistant Engineer 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 $118,474 pays near the federal average.
- Headcount change
- +2.0%
- Pay change
- -0.3%
- Avg tenure
- 13.6 yrs
- Rank in family
- #22 of 55
FedScope read on First Assistant Engineer (thin series)
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 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.
The Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (code 99) groups First Assistant Engineer together with 54 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for First Assistant Engineer postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. First Assistant Engineer makes up 1.5% of the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family's 6,786 combined employees.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How First Assistant Engineer pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$118,474
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+1.0%
Where First Assistant Engineer ranks on rich federal pay
First Assistant Engineer earns more on average than 66% of federal occupation series (358 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where First Assistant Engineer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks First Assistant Engineer.
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 First Assistant Engineer 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 (101 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($118,474 here).
Key takeaways
- Place First Assistant Engineer 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 First Assistant Engineer 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.