Ordinary Seaman
Drawn directly from OPM FedScope (June 2026), this page tracks headcount, average salary, tenure, and pay comparison for the Ordinary Seaman occupation series (code 9928).
The verdict
In the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, Ordinary Seaman counts 619 employees, a smaller, specialized federal occupation at 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined from the prior period; pay averages $42,990, which pays below the federal-wide average.
- Headcount change
- -2.5%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 2.5 yrs
- Rank in family
- #2 of 55
What the Numbers Say About Ordinary Seaman
On pay, the move between reporting periods was 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 comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce. Headcount moved down versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.
The Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (code 99) groups Ordinary Seaman together with 54 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Ordinary Seaman postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. Ordinary Seaman makes up 9.1% of the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family's 6,786 combined employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (10th percentile) of pay among Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) occupations.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Ordinary Seaman pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$42,990
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-63.4%
Where Ordinary Seaman ranks on lean federal pay
Ordinary Seaman earns more on average than 2% of federal occupation series (9 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Ordinary Seaman sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Ordinary Seaman.
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 |
| 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 |
| Third Assistant Engineer | 184 | $95,672 | 6.9 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Ordinary Seaman 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 headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (619 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($42,990 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Ordinary Seaman 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 Ordinary Seaman 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.