Unlicensed Junior Engineer
Federal headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison for the Unlicensed Junior Engineer occupation series (code 9954), drawn directly from the OPM FedScope dataset (June 2026).
The verdict
Unlicensed Junior Engineer is a smaller, specialized federal occupation: 79 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 $58,665 it pays below the federal average of $117,339, and headcount declined 1.3% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 79
- Share of workforce
- 0.0%
- Avg salary
- $58,665
- Avg tenure
- 16.3 yrs
FedScope read on Unlicensed Junior Engineer (thin series)
0.0% of the federal civilian workforce (1,953,300 employees total, June 2026) works in the Unlicensed Junior Engineer occupation (OPM code 9954): 79 people, headcount down -1.3% 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 Unlicensed Junior Engineer is $58,665 per year. Salaries moved up by 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. Average length of service in this role is 16.3 years, a long average tenure, typical of career federal roles where employees stay through much of a full career before retirement.
Code 99, the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, is where the federal government classifies Unlicensed Junior Engineer alongside 54 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Unlicensed Junior Engineer postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family.
Unlicensed Junior Engineer makes up 1.2% of the 6,786 employees across the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, ranking #27 of 55 occupations in that family by headcount.
Salary context · lean-pay series
How Unlicensed Junior Engineer pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$58,665
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
-50.0%
Where Unlicensed Junior Engineer ranks on lean federal pay
Its average salary of $58,665 is higher than 13% of federal occupation series (70 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Unlicensed Junior Engineer sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Unlicensed Junior Engineer ranks higher than 13%.
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 Unlicensed Junior 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 (79 here).
Similar lean average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($58,665 here).
Key takeaways
- Unlicensed Junior Engineer pays below the federal average by 50.0% ($58,665 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 13th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A smaller, specialized federal occupation by headcount: 79 employees, 0.0% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount declined 1.3% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Unlicensed Junior Engineer ranks #494 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Unlicensed Junior Engineer makes up 1.2% of the 6,786 employees across the Vessel Jobs Family (excluded From the Federal Wage System) family, ranking #27 of 55 occupations in that family by headcount.
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.