Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in the US
A captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earns a national median of $92,460 a year (mean $103,720) — BLS OEWS May 2025, ranked #175 of 825.
How much does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earn in the US?
A captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels in the United States earns a median of $92,460 a year (mean $103,720), per BLS OEWS May 2025. That is 81% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980. About 36,850 people work in this occupation (SOC 53-5021), ranked #175 of 825 by national median pay. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Median
$92,460
per year
Mean
$103,720
per year
Employment
36,850
US workers
National rank
#175
of 825 by median
What a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earns in the US
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 national estimates, a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels (SOC 53-5021) earns a median annual wage of $92,460 and a mean (average) of $103,720. The median is the midpoint — half of captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earn more and half earn less — and is 81% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980. The mean is higher than the median when a minority of very high earners pull the average up.
Note: BLS top-codes any annual wage at or above $239,200/year, so occupations at that ceiling share the same figure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels in the US?
- The BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual median wage for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels is $92,460, and the mean (average) is $103,720. The median is the midpoint — half of captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earn more and half earn less.
- How does captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels pay compare to the US average?
- At $92,460, a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earns 81% above the US all-occupations median of $50,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The all-occupations US median is $50,980.
- How many captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels are employed in the US?
- BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates about 36,850 captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels employed nationally (SOC 53-5021), across all industries.
- Where does this captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates, SOC code 53-5021. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—", never estimated.
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Find captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC 53-5021 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All US salaries