Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 53-5021

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

The published band from $47,420 to $170,640 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232K) , Flight Attendants ($64K) , Commercial Pilots ($123K) , Air Traffic Controllers ($148K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-5021 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards
  2. 2. Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations
  3. 3. Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth
  4. 4. Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements
  5. 5. Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses
  6. 6. Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations
  7. 7. Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks
  8. 8. Stand watches on vessels during specified periods while vessels are under way
  9. 9. Inspect vessels to ensure efficient and safe operation of vessels and equipment and conformance to regulations
  10. 10. Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen
  11. 11. Tow and maneuver barges or signal tugboats to tow barges to destinations
  12. 12. Report to appropriate authorities any violations of federal or state pilotage laws

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-5021 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Transportation. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.6
  2. 2. Speaking 3.5
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.5
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.4
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.4
  6. 6. Operations Monitoring 3.4
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.4
  8. 8. Reading Comprehension 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Transportation 4.1
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.8
  3. 3. Mechanical 3.4
  4. 4. Law and Government 3.4
  5. 5. English Language 3.3
  6. 6. Geography 3.3
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$47,420 to $170,640
median $92,460 · ~3.6× spread
$92K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
4,300
Annual openings
36,850
Estimated US jobs
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $232K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

1. Tennessee $132,710
2. New York $104,800
3. Oregon $97,050
4. Maryland $138,950
5. California $110,090
6. Iowa $97,700
7. Louisiana $117,160
8. Texas $111,390
9. Mississippi $104,220
10. Washington $103,730

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Commercial Pilots $123,220
  2. 2. Air Traffic Controllers $148,080
  3. 3. Flight Attendants $63,580
  4. 4. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
  5. 5. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  6. 6. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840

The OEWS band for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels runs from $47,420 (10th) to $170,640 (90th), about 3.6× wide, with median $92,460. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Tennessee at $132,710. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $232,140. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels pay-rank #5 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Among 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with a published OEWS median, Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is pay-rank #5, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 53-5021 · national median $92,460 · upper third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#5/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-5021

Tennessee · top state for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

$133K published median

New York · #2 state pay

$105K · behind Tennessee

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · $232K

Flight Attendants

Lower-pay peer beside Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · $64K

Compare Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles sit near Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels at the top of the pay table? ▼
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is pay-rank #5 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Transportation Inspectors ($92K), Subway and Streetcar Operators ($86K), Locomotive Engineers ($81K), Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters ($78K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels. Leading ones include: Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards; Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations; Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth; Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels? ▼
For SOC 53-5021, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.6), Speaking (3.5), Monitoring (3.5), Active Listening (3.4). Knowledge areas emphasize Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $47,420 and the 90th at $170,640 for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (3.6× spread). The national median is $92,460. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 4,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels? ▼
Tennessee ($132,710), New York ($104,800), Oregon ($97,050) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-5021. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics