First Officer
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the First Officer occupation series (code 9905): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 81 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), First Officer ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. Its average salary of $85,800 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- 0.0%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 10.9 yrs
- Rank in family
- #26 of 55
FedScope read on First Officer (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 sideways 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 small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
The Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (code 99) groups First Officer together with 54 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for First Officer postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. The Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family totals 6,786 employees, and First Officer accounts for 1.2% of them.
Salary Context
How First Officer pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$85,800
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-26.9%
Where First Officer ranks on federal pay
First Officer earns more on average than 42% of federal occupation series (225 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where First Officer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks First Officer.
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 Officer 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 (81 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($85,800 here).
Key takeaways
- Place First Officer 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 Officer 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.