Refrigeration Engineer
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Refrigeration Engineer occupation series (code 9945): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 73 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Refrigeration Engineer ranks as a smaller, specialized federal occupation within the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, and headcount declined from the prior period. Its average salary of n/a pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -1.4%
- Pay change
- 0.0%
- Avg tenure
- 14.2 yrs
- Rank in family
- #29 of 55
FedScope read on Refrigeration Engineer (thin series)
Headcount moved down 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 sideways 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.
Code 99, the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, is where the federal government classifies Refrigeration Engineer alongside 54 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Refrigeration Engineer postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. Across the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, 6,786 employees work in 55 occupations; Refrigeration Engineer is 1.1% of that headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Refrigeration Engineer pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
n/a
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-100.0%
Where Refrigeration Engineer ranks on lean federal pay
Refrigeration Engineer earns more on average than 0% of federal occupation series (0 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Refrigeration Engineer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Refrigeration 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 Refrigeration 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 (73 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families (n/a here).
Key takeaways
- Place Refrigeration 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 Refrigeration 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.