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Rank the distinct order values and pick rank 2. Using DENSE_RANK() handles ties best: if two orders share the top value, the next distinct value still gets rank 2, and every order with that second-highest value is returned. Common trap: ORDER BY order_value DESC LIMIT 1 OFFSET 1 returns the top value again when the highest is tied. Also filter out NULLs, because PostgreSQL sorts NULLs first in DESC order. Table assumed: orders(order_id, order_value). For just the number, SELECT MAX(order_value) FROM orders WHERE order_value < (SELECT MAX(order_value) FROM orders) also works.