Portland-South Portland, ME · SOC 53-5021
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in the Portland-South Portland Metro
Metro area salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025)
Geography used: wage and employment figures cover the full Portland-South Portland, ME BLS wage area, not only its central city; the comparison figure is the United States national estimate. Verify with the BLS OEWS source tables.
Median Salary
$74,140
per year in the Portland-South Portland metro
20% below
National Median
$92,460
per year nationally
Hourly Rate
$35.64/hr
median hourly
Employment
150
jobs in the Portland-South Portland metro
The Portland-South Portland pay distribution spans from $56,800 at the 10th percentile to $100,610 at the 90th, a 1.8× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $64,650 and the 75th at $77,930, so half of Portland-South Portland-based captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earn within that middle band.
Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Portland-South Portland, ME covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide ME estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.
Salary Range in the Portland-South Portland Metro
Annual Salary Distribution
Top Paying Jobs in Portland-South Portland
Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.
Similar Occupations in Portland-South Portland
Other roles inside the Portland-South Portland, ME MSA from the same SOC major group.
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in Portland-South Portland
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
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Aircraft Service Attendants
in Portland-South Portland
Airfield Operations Specialists
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Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
in Portland-South Portland
How much do Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels make in the Portland-South Portland metro area?
How much do Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels make in the Portland-South Portland metro area? ▼
How does Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels pay in the Portland-South Portland metro compare nationally? ▼
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS data for the full Portland-South Portland, ME wage area. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.