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Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in Charleston, SC

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Charleston, SC have a median annual salary of $91,000, with 250 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $36,780 at the 10th percentile to $123,840 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$91,000

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$43.75

Employment

250

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$36,780
10th
$52,290
25th
$91,000
Median
$118,980
75th
$123,840
90th

Local compared with national

Charleston, SC

$91,000

Median annual · 2025

United States

$92,460

Median annual · 2025

The Charleston, SC median is 1.6% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $1,460).

Top skills

  1. 1.Operation and ControlImportance 3.6
  2. 2.SpeakingImportance 3.5
  3. 3.MonitoringImportance 3.5
  4. 4.Active ListeningImportance 3.4
  5. 5.Critical ThinkingImportance 3.4
  6. 6.Operations MonitoringImportance 3.4
  7. 7.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 3.4
  8. 8.Reading ComprehensionImportance 3.3
  9. 9.CoordinationImportance 3.3
  10. 10.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 3.3
  11. 11.Management of Personnel ResourcesImportance 3.3
  12. 12.WritingImportance 3.1

Career information

Education and experience

Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Job zone
3

Technology used

  • 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
  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Common tasks

  • Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
  • 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.
  • Inspect vessels to ensure efficient and safe operation of vessels and equipment and conformance to regulations.
  • Read gauges to verify sufficient levels of hydraulic fluid, air pressure, or oxygen.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels salary in other locations

Other occupations in Charleston, SC