Sailors and Marine Oilers Salary: $49,610 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 31,360 sailors and marine oilers work nationally, and $49,610 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.7% annual growth.
Sailors and Marine Oilers: what the data shows
Common questions about sailors and marine oilers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a sailors and marine oilers?
Sailors and Marine Oilers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-5011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 31,360 workers.
What does a sailors and marine oilers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Controlling Machines and Processes, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a sailors and marine oilers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $49,610 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $58,048 — 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 | $38,360 |
| 25th percentile | $44,097 |
| Median (50th) | $56,317 |
| 75th percentile | $70,524 |
| 90th percentile | $79,507 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Troubleshooting, and knowledge areas including Public Safety and Security, Transportation, Mechanical, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is sailors and marine oilers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 3.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 7.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 31,360.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do sailors and marine oilerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 31,360 | 20.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 27,320 | 17.5% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 22,880 | 14.7% |
| Water Transportation | 11,890 | 7.6% |
| Support Activities for Transportation | 9,260 | 5.9% |
| Support Activities for Water Transportation | 9,210 | 5.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Sailors and Marine Oilers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Sailors and Marine Oilers workforce.
Employment Over Time
31,360 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Sailors and Marine Oilers grew from 5,740 in 2009 to 6,460 in 2025 (12.5%).
Historical employment for Sailors and Marine Oilers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$49,610 Median pay (BLS national)
Sailors and Marine Oilers earn $49,610 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Salary distribution for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Employment Growth Projections
0.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
6,703 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 3.8%
6,955 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 7.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Sailors and Marine Oilers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Sailors and Marine Oilers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-28.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 3.2% growth (Current: $73,030)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
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: 7,470 employees, $51,220 avg wage
- TX: 5,600 employees, $64,480 avg wage
- FL: 2,590 employees, $49,960 avg wage
- VA: 2,390 employees, $46,560 avg wage
- WA: 1,910 employees, $64,760 avg wage
- CA: 1,830 employees, $56,670 avg wage
- NY: 1,340 employees, $59,780 avg wage
- KY: 1,180 employees, $50,060 avg wage
- TN: 730 employees, $56,100 avg wage
- NJ: 570 employees, $66,200 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 4,640 employees, $66,550 avg wage
- Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA: 2,330 employees, $49,110 avg wage
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC: 2,310 employees, $46,580 avg wage
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 2,160 employees, $55,320 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,610 employees, $63,130 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,420 employees, $64,510 avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 1,270 employees, $48,890 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,070 employees, $49,550 avg wage
- Paducah, KY-IL: 850 employees, $52,090 avg wage
- Jacksonville, FL: 700 employees, $54,250 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Sailors and Marine Oilers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Sailors and Marine Oilers is about 31,360 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
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 Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Sailors and Marine Oilers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Sailors and Marine Oilers workers.
Education level distribution for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Skills
Sailors and Marine Oilers need many skills, but most especially Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Sailors and Marine Oilers include Public Safety and Security, Transportation, Mechanical, Education and Training, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Sailors and Marine Oilers include Far Vision, Control Precision, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Depth Perception.
Required abilities for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Sailors and Marine Oilers.
Daily Activities
Sailors and Marine Oilers spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Controlling Machines and Processes.
Most important work activities for Sailors and Marine Oilers.
About
Sailors and Marine Oilers
Sailors and Marine Oilers earn $49,610 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
53-5011 - Sailors and Marine Oilers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Sailors and Marine Oilers reports an average salary of $58,048.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 31,360 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.7%, 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.