Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary: $99,297 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 35,390 captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels nationally earn a mean of $99,297. Employment in the series shown rose about 13% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.8% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: what the data shows
Common questions about captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels?
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-5021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 35,390 workers.
What does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Controlling Machines and Processes, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels make?
BLS national median annual wage: $85,540 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $99,297 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $55,343 |
| 25th percentile | $61,909 |
| Median (50th) | $81,494 |
| 75th percentile | $125,294 |
| 90th percentile | $162,589 |
What education do you need?
For Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Monitoring, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Law and Government. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 20.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 45.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 35,390.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do captains, mates, and pilots of water vesselss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 35,390 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 32,770 | 18.5% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 26,550 | 15.0% |
| Water Transportation | 13,570 | 7.7% |
| Inland Water Transportation | 9,240 | 5.2% |
| Support Activities for Transportation | 8,820 | 5.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels workforce.
Employment Over Time
35,390 Workforce in 2023
The Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$99,297 Average Wage
In 2023, Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels earned an average of $99,297.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Salary distribution for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Employment Growth Projections
3.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
8,796 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 20.5%
10,598 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 45.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Wage Trends by Industry
-20.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- LA: 6,310 employees, $115,190 avg wage
- FL: 4,360 employees, $75,890 avg wage
- TX: 4,090 employees, $110,750 avg wage
- NY: 2,080 employees, $102,240 avg wage
- CA: 1,970 employees, $96,940 avg wage
- VA: 1,890 employees, $88,990 avg wage
- WA: 1,600 employees, $105,140 avg wage
- KY: 1,490 employees, $103,310 avg wage
- NJ: 880 employees, $107,930 avg wage
- TN: 840 employees, $109,250 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,850 employees, $117,340 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,510 employees, $106,820 avg wage
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 1,820 employees, $122,870 avg wage
- Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA: 1,760 employees, $104,620 avg wage
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC: 1,730 employees, $88,960 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,360 employees, $78,480 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,260 employees, $105,150 avg wage
- Paducah, KY-IL: 1,080 employees, $108,820 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 820 employees, $125,100 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 790 employees, $90,010 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Diversity
Demographic information on Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in 2023 was 35,390 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels workers.
Education level distribution for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Skills
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Monitoring, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels include Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Law and Government, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Spatial Orientation, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Daily Activities
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
About
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
The average yearly wage for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels was $99,297 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-5021 - Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels reports an average salary of $99,297.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 35,390 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.