Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 53-5011

Sailors and Marine Oilers

The published band from $34,560 to $83,620 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Sailors and Marine Oilers: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels ($92K) , First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ($63K) , Wellhead Pumpers ($70K) , Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators ($77K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Sailors and Marine Oilers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-5011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when dest…
  2. 2. Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks
  3. 3. Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines
  4. 4. Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs
  5. 5. Stand watch in ships' bows or bridge wings to look for obstructions in a ship's path or to locate navigational aids, such as buoys or lig…
  6. 6. Maintain government-issued certifications, as required
  7. 7. Examine machinery to verify specified pressures or lubricant flows
  8. 8. Maintain a ship's engines under the direction of the ship's engineering officers
  9. 9. Break out, rig, and stow cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, or running gear
  10. 10. Lubricate machinery, equipment, or engine parts, such as gears, shafts, or bearings
  11. 11. Stand by wheels when ships are on automatic pilot, and verify accuracy of courses, using magnetic compasses
  12. 12. Steer ships under the direction of commanders or navigating officers or direct helmsmen to steer, following designated courses

Sailors and Marine Oilers: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-5011 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.9 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.9
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.6
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.3
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.1
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.1
  6. 6. Troubleshooting 3.1
  7. 7. Repairing 3.1
  8. 8. Speaking 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 3.2
  2. 2. Transportation 3.1
  3. 3. Mechanical 3.0
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.0
  5. 5. Administration and Management 2.9
  6. 6. English Language 2.9
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$34,560 to $83,620
median $51,520 · ~2.4× spread
$52K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
3,900
Annual openings
31,670
Estimated US jobs
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Highest-pay peer · $92K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Sailors and Marine Oilers

1. Alaska $63,130
2. New Jersey $71,880
3. Indiana $56,570
4. Hawaii $76,140
5. Florida $57,930
6. Oregon $70,410
7. Minnesota $56,680
8. Tennessee $60,580
9. Washington $66,700
10. Delaware $60,040

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Wellhead Pumpers $69,960
  2. 2. Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $92,460
  3. 3. Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators $77,320
  4. 4. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  5. 5. First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $62,890
  6. 6. Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $78,000

The OEWS band for Sailors and Marine Oilers runs from $34,560 (10th) to $83,620 (90th), about 2.4× wide, with median $51,520. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. 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: Alaska at $63,130. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels at $92,460. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Sailors and Marine Oilers pay-rank #27 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Sailors and Marine Oilers sits at pay-rank #27 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 Sailors and Marine Oilers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Sailors and Marine Oilers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-5011

Alaska · top state for Sailors and Marine Oilers

$63K published median

New Jersey · #2 state pay

$72K · behind Alaska

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Highest-pay peer vs Sailors and Marine Oilers · $92K

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

Lower-pay peer beside Sailors and Marine Oilers · $63K

Compare Sailors and Marine Oilers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Sailors and Marine Oilers 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 Sailors and Marine Oilers mid-table among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #27 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors ($50K), Dredge Operators ($50K), Bus Drivers, School ($48K), Motorboat Operators ($48K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do sailors and marine oilers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Sailors and Marine Oilers. Leading ones include: Tie barges together into tow units for tugboats to handle, inspecting barges periodically during voyages and disconnecting them when dest…; Attach hoses and operate pumps to transfer substances to and from liquid cargo tanks; Handle lines to moor vessels to wharfs, to tie up vessels to other vessels, or to rig towing lines; Read pressure and temperature gauges or displays and record data in engineering logs. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for sailors and marine oilers? ▼
For SOC 53-5011, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.9), Operation and Control (3.6), Monitoring (3.3), Active Listening (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, Transportation, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Sailors and Marine Oilers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $34,560 and the 90th at $83,620 for Sailors and Marine Oilers (2.4× spread). The national median is $51,520. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Sailors and Marine Oilers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Sailors and Marine Oilers is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 3,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Sailors and Marine Oilers? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Sailors and Marine Oilers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Sailors and Marine Oilers? ▼
Alaska ($63,130), New Jersey ($71,880), Indiana ($56,570) 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 Sailors and Marine Oilers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-5011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Sailors and Marine Oilers. 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