Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Career, Salary and Skills
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $92,460 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 36,850. Wage data is published for 115 locations.
Occupation description
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
O*NET code
53-5021.00
Job zone
3
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$92,460
Hourly median
$44.45
Employment
36,850
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Operation and Control | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.50 | 3.38 |
| Speaking | 3.50 | 3.38 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Active Listening | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.25 | 3.12 |
Typical tasks
- Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
- Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
- Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
- Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
- Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.
- Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks.
- Stand watches on vessels during specified periods while vessels are under way.
- Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
Technology
- Apple macOS
- Autodesk Revit
- Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- FURUNO navigational chart software
- Groundwater modeling system GMS
- Jeppesen Marine Nobeltec Admiral
- JRC navigation software
- KNMI TurboWin
- Log book software
- Maptech The CAPN
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office Outlook
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in LAMedian $117,160 · Employment 6,830
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in FLMedian $76,040 · Employment 5,040
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in TXMedian $111,390 · Employment 3,400
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in Houston, TXMedian $118,830 · Employment 2,550
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in CAMedian $110,090 · Employment 2,420
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in VAMedian $87,610 · Employment 2,270
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in New York, NYMedian $106,230 · Employment 2,060
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in Virginia Beach, VAMedian $86,940 · Employment 2,050
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in Houma, LAMedian $103,780 · Employment 2,040
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in New Orleans, LAMedian $121,710 · Employment 1,940
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in NYMedian $104,800 · Employment 1,930
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in Miami, FLMedian $78,280 · Employment 1,710
Related careers
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship LoadersNational median $58,870
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and HostlersNational median $60,600
- Airfield Operations SpecialistsNational median $56,850
- Hoist and Winch OperatorsNational median $56,450
- Commercial DiversNational median $72,990
- Railroad Conductors and YardmastersNational median $78,000
- Marine Engineers and Naval ArchitectsNational median $112,230
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive FirersNational median $68,840
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.