Second Assistant Engineer
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Second Assistant Engineer occupation series (code 9933), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Second Assistant Engineer is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 186 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 $107,628 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 1.1% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 186
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $107,628
- Avg tenure
- 13.5 yrs
What the Numbers Say About Second Assistant Engineer
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 186 people work in the Second Assistant Engineer occupation (OPM code 9933) across federal agencies, 0.0% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved down by -1.1% from 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.
Average tenure in Second Assistant Engineer runs 13.5 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $107,628 per year, up 0.1% from the prior period, a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Code 99, the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, is where the federal government classifies Second Assistant Engineer alongside 54 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Second Assistant Engineer postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family.
Inside the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (55 occupations, 6,786 employees combined), Second Assistant Engineer holds the #10 spot by headcount, a 2.7% share of the family total.
Salary Context
How Second Assistant Engineer pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$107,628
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-8.3%
Where Second Assistant Engineer ranks on federal pay
Its average salary of $107,628 is higher than 59% of federal occupation series (319 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Second Assistant Engineer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Second Assistant Engineer ranks higher than 59%.
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 |
| Third Assistant Engineer | 184 | $95,672 | 6.9 yrs |
Nationwide occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Second 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 headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (186 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($107,628 here).
Key takeaways
- Second Assistant Engineer pays below the federal average by 8.3% ($107,628 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 59th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 186 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.1% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Second Assistant Engineer ranks #417 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (55 occupations, 6,786 employees combined), Second Assistant Engineer holds the #10 spot by headcount, a 2.7% share of the family total.
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.