Third Assistant Engineer
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Third Assistant Engineer occupation series (code 9934): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Third Assistant Engineer is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 184 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 $95,672 it pays below the federal average, and headcount declined from the prior period.
- Headcount change
- -1.1%
- Pay change
- +0.2%
- Avg tenure
- 6.9 yrs
- Rank in family
- #11 of 55
What the Numbers Say About Third Assistant Engineer
For job seekers weighing career length: 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, though at this small a headcount, year-to-year swings can reflect a handful of hires or departures rather than a broad hiring trend. As for pay, the latest move was a small shift, within the range of normal year-to-year rounding rather than a broad pay-table change.
Third Assistant Engineer sits inside the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family (code 99), which contains 55 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Third Assistant Engineer postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family. Third Assistant Engineer makes up 2.7% of the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family's 6,786 combined employees.
Salary Context
How Third Assistant Engineer pay compares to the federal average
Occupation Average
$95,672
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-18.5%
Where Third Assistant Engineer ranks on federal pay
Third Assistant Engineer earns more on average than 51% of federal occupation series (276 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Third Assistant Engineer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; the highlighted bar marks Third Assistant 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 occupation series with similar scale or pay
Two peer sets for Third 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 (184 here).
Similar average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($95,672 here).
Key takeaways
- Place Third Assistant 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 Third Assistant 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.