Ship Operating

What the Numbers Say About Ship Operating

0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Ship Operating occupation (OPM code 5782): 131 people, headcount down -1.5% 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 Ship Operating is $106,583 per year, placing it 3.0% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.4% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 13.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 57, the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family, is where the federal government classifies Ship Operating alongside 14 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Ship Operating 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.

Inside the Transportation/mobile Equipment Operation Family family (15 occupations, 10,693 employees combined), Ship Operating holds the #10 spot by headcount, a 1.2% share of the family total.