Medical Services Officer
Everything OPM FedScope (March 2025) reports about the Medical Services Officer occupation series (code 9996): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Medical Services Officer is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 45 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. At an average salary of $101,026 it pays below the federal average of $109,869, and headcount grew 4.7% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 45
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $101,026
- Avg tenure
- 7.6 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Medical Services Officer
Federal agencies employ 45 people in the Medical Services Officer occupation (OPM code 9996), accounting for 0.0% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved up by 4.7% 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.
The average salary for Medical Services Officer is $101,026 per year, placing it 8.0% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved down by -0.5% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 7.6 years, a comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce.
Code 99, the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, is where the federal government classifies Medical Services Officer alongside 50 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Medical Services Officer postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.
Medical Services Officer makes up 0.7% of the 6,135 employees across the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, ranking #35 of 51 occupations in that family by headcount.
Employees
45
+4.7% from prior period
Average Salary
$101,026
-0.5%
Avg Length of Service
7.6 yrs
Occupation Family
Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System)
Salary Context
How Medical Services Officer pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Occupation Average
$101,026
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
-8.0%
Where Medical Services Officer ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $101,026 is higher than 63% of federal occupation series (397 of 634). The highlighted bar marks where Medical Services Officer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 634 federal occupation series; Medical Services Officer ranks higher than 63%.
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 | 748 | $38,354 | 4.7 yrs |
| Ordinary Seaman | 712 | $38,310 | 1.7 yrs |
| Able Seaman-Maintenance | 528 | $55,876 | 11.7 yrs |
| Wiper | 256 | $42,135 | 2.5 yrs |
| Engine Utilityman | 254 | $49,916 | 8.1 yrs |
| Able Seaman | 225 | $58,397 | 12.6 yrs |
| Boatswain's Mate | 175 | $61,606 | 17.2 yrs |
| Third Assistant Engineer | 174 | $91,616 | 6.6 yrs |
| Second Assistant Engineer | 170 | $112,614 | 12.6 yrs |
| Third Officer | 163 | $83,457 | 4.3 yrs |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope occupation-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.