Commercial Divers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$72,990
United States, 2025
Employment
3,450
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Work below surface of water, using surface-supplied air or scuba equipment to inspect, repair, remove, or install equipment and structures. May use a variety of power and hand tools, such as drills, sledgehammers, torches, and welding equipment. May conduct tests or experiments, rig explosives, or photograph structures or marine life.
- O*NET code
- 49-9092.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Typical tasks
- Cut and weld steel, using underwater welding equipment, jigs, and supports.
- Carry out non-destructive testing, such as tests for cracks on the legs of oil rigs at sea.
- Check and maintain diving equipment, such as helmets, masks, air tanks, harnesses, or gauges.
- Take appropriate safety precautions, such as monitoring dive lengths and depths and registering with authorities before diving expeditions begin.
- Communicate with workers on the surface while underwater, using signal lines or telephones.
- Descend into water with the aid of diver helpers, using scuba gear or diving suits.
- Inspect and test docks, ships, buoyage systems, plant intakes or outflows, or underwater pipelines, cables, or sewers, using closed circuit television, still photography, and testing equipment.
- Obtain information about diving tasks and environmental conditions.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$43,330
25th percentile
$54,810
75th percentile
$101,550
90th percentile
$157,790
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Active Listening3.6
- Operations Monitoring3.5
- Speaking3.5
- Quality Control Analysis3.4
- Troubleshooting3.1
- Operation and Control3.1
- Equipment Maintenance3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Time Management3.1
- Coordination3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 19 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
19
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.6 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.5 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Speaking | 3.5 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Operation and Control | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Repairing | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Writing | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Equipment Selection | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Commercial DiversHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| WA | $161,800 | — | 2025 |
| NY | $157,800 | 170 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $126,320 | — | 2025 |
| RI | $126,320 | — | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $101,550 | 60 | 2025 |
| CA | $101,540 | 310 | 2025 |
| HI | $95,750 | 70 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $95,750 | 50 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $89,130 | — | 2025 |
| NJ | $86,920 | — | 2025 |
| AZ | $85,990 | — | 2025 |
| VT | $85,780 | 80 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $84,200 | 50 | 2025 |
| IN | $83,510 | — | 2025 |
| ME | $74,610 | — | 2025 |
| KY | $63,550 | — | 2025 |
| MO | $63,030 | — | 2025 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $62,820 | 90 | 2025 |
| VA | $62,340 | — | 2025 |
| LA | $62,230 | 230 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Commercial Divers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.