Motorboat Operators Salary: $86,175 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 2,380 motorboat operators nationally earn a mean of $86,175. Employment in the series shown fell about 25% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 9.7% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Motorboat Operators: what the data shows
Common questions about motorboat operators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a motorboat operators?
Motorboat Operators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-5022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 2,380 workers.
What does a motorboat operators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a motorboat operators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $51,880 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $86,175 — 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 | $55,026 |
| 25th percentile | $80,234 |
| Median (50th) | $90,037 |
| 75th percentile | $95,455 |
| 90th percentile | $105,924 |
What education do you need?
For Motorboat Operators, 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, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Monitoring, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is motorboat operators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 9.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -39.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -63.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 2,380.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do motorboat operatorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 2,380 | 21.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 2,010 | 18.0% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 840 | 7.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 370 | 3.3% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 360 | 3.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 360 | 3.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Motorboat Operators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Motorboat Operators workforce.
Employment Over Time
2,380 Workforce in 2023
The Motorboat Operators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Motorboat Operators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$86,175 Average Wage
In 2023, Motorboat Operators earned an average of $86,175.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Motorboat Operators.
Salary distribution for Motorboat Operators.
Employment Growth Projections
-9.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
108 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -39.9%
64 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -63.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Motorboat Operators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Motorboat Operators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Motorboat Operators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Motorboat Operators.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 1.3% growth (Current: $86,175)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Motorboat Operators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Motorboat Operators.
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:
- FL: 350 employees, $46,340 avg wage
- TX: 280 employees, $57,910 avg wage
- HI: 240 employees, $70,740 avg wage
- LA: 220 employees, $44,040 avg wage
- TN: 130 employees, $43,220 avg wage
- NJ: 120 employees, $52,970 avg wage
- NY: 120 employees, $63,770 avg wage
- WA: 100 employees, $61,920 avg wage
- CA: 90 employees, $84,130 avg wage
- MA: 80 employees, $55,270 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Motorboat Operators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 190 employees, $59,290 avg wage
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR: 120 employees, $37,100 avg wage
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 80 employees, $42,480 avg wage
- Urban Honolulu, HI: 80 employees, $66,460 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 60 employees, $55,840 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 50 employees, $50,280 avg wage
- Kahului-Wailuku, HI: 50 employees, $80,810 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 50 employees, $42,630 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 40 employees, $49,020 avg wage
- Corpus Christi, TX: 40 employees, $59,210 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Motorboat Operators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Motorboat Operators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Motorboat Operators in 2023 was 2,380 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Motorboat Operators.
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 Motorboat Operators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Motorboat Operators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Motorboat Operators in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Motorboat Operators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Motorboat Operators workers.
Education level distribution for Motorboat Operators.
Skills
Motorboat Operators need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, Monitoring, Speaking.
Required skills for Motorboat Operators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Motorboat Operators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Motorboat Operators include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training, Public Safety and Security, Transportation.
Knowledge areas required for Motorboat Operators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Motorboat Operators include Control Precision, Spatial Orientation, Far Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Motorboat Operators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Motorboat Operators.
Daily Activities
Motorboat Operators spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.
Most important work activities for Motorboat Operators.
About
Motorboat Operators
The average yearly wage for Motorboat Operators was $86,175 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-5022 - Motorboat Operators
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Motorboat Operators reports an average salary of $86,175.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 2,380 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -9.7%, 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.