Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 53-5022

Motorboat Operators

The published band from $34,510 to $84,530 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Transportation Inspectors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Motorboat Operators: Transportation Inspectors ($92K) , First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ($63K) , Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers ($69K) , Flight Attendants ($64K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Motorboat Operators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-5022 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses
  2. 2. Direct safety operations in emergency situations
  3. 3. Secure boats to docks with mooring lines, and cast off lines to enable departure
  4. 4. Maintain desired courses, using compasses or electronic navigational aids
  5. 5. Organize and direct the activities of crew members
  6. 6. Follow safety procedures to ensure the protection of passengers, cargo, and vessels
  7. 7. Maintain equipment such as range markers, fire extinguishers, boat fenders, lines, pumps, and fittings
  8. 8. Report any observed navigational hazards to authorities
  9. 9. Oversee operation of vessels used for carrying passengers, motor vehicles, or goods across rivers, harbors, lakes, and coastal waters
  10. 10. Service motors by performing tasks such as changing oil and lubricating parts
  11. 11. Arrange repairs, fuel, and supplies for vessels
  12. 12. Issue directions for loading, unloading, and seating in boats

Motorboat Operators: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-5022 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.9
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 3.8
  3. 3. Speaking 3.4
  4. 4. Monitoring 3.4
  5. 5. Equipment Maintenance 3.4
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 3.3
  7. 7. Active Listening 3.1
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  2. 2. English Language 4.1
  3. 3. Education and Training 3.9
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 3.8
  5. 5. Transportation 3.8
  6. 6. Mechanical 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$34,510 to $84,530
median $47,520 · ~2.4× spread
$48K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
300
Annual openings
2,480
Estimated US jobs
Transportation Inspectors
Highest-pay peer · $92K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Motorboat Operators

1. New York $62,000
2. Florida $46,620
3. Massachusetts $45,160
4. Hawaii $76,250
5. Connecticut $45,970
6. Michigan $46,760
7. Washington $63,650
8. Louisiana $45,800
9. Texas $50,270
10. Illinois $68,380

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers $68,840
  2. 2. Transportation Inspectors $92,100
  3. 3. Flight Attendants $63,580
  4. 4. First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,890
  5. 5. Locomotive Engineers $81,410
  6. 6. Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators $77,320

The OEWS band for Motorboat Operators runs from $34,510 (10th) to $84,530 (90th), about 2.4× wide, with median $47,520. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 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: New York at $62,000. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Transportation Inspectors at $92,100. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Motorboat Operators pay-rank #31 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Motorboat Operators sits at pay-rank #31 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Motorboat Operators is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Motorboat Operators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-5022

New York · top state for Motorboat Operators

$62K published median

Florida · #2 state pay

$47K · behind New York

Transportation Inspectors

Highest-pay peer vs Motorboat Operators · $92K

First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors

Lower-pay peer beside Motorboat Operators · $63K

Compare Motorboat Operators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Motorboat Operators 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

Is Motorboat Operators mid-table among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #31 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Bus Drivers, School ($48K), Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators ($46K), Transportation Workers, All Other ($46K), Dredge Operators ($50K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do motorboat operators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Motorboat Operators. Leading ones include: Operate engine throttles and steering mechanisms to guide boats on desired courses; Direct safety operations in emergency situations; Secure boats to docks with mooring lines, and cast off lines to enable departure; Maintain desired courses, using compasses or electronic navigational aids. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for motorboat operators? ▼
For SOC 53-5022, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.9), Operations Monitoring (3.8), Speaking (3.4), Monitoring (3.4). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Motorboat Operators? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $34,510 and the 90th at $84,530 for Motorboat Operators (2.4× spread). The national median is $47,520. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Motorboat Operators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Motorboat Operators is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Motorboat Operators? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Motorboat Operators. 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 Motorboat Operators? ▼
New York ($62,000), Florida ($46,620), Massachusetts ($45,160) 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 Motorboat Operators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-5022. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Motorboat Operators. 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