Second Cook
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Second Cook occupation series (code 9973): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
With 126 employees (0.0% of the federal civilian workforce), Second Cook 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 $48,222 pays below the federal average.
- Headcount change
- -6.0%
- Pay change
- +0.8%
- Avg tenure
- 10.1 yrs
- Rank in family
- #15 of 55
FedScope read on Second Cook (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 up between the two reporting periods, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. 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.
The Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (code 99) groups Second Cook together with 54 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Second Cook 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; Second Cook is 1.9% of that headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Second Cook pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$48,222
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-58.9%
Where Second Cook ranks on lean federal pay
Second Cook earns more on average than 4% of federal occupation series (24 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Second Cook sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Second Cook.
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 Second Cook 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 (126 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($48,222 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Second Cook 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 Second Cook 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.