Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 53-5021 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$92,456
$44.45/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Captains salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$47K
P25$64K
P50$92K
P75$127K
P90$171K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- the broader market openings are at 4.4% (JOLTS, June 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in private industry are rising about 3.1% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.7-3.2% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $92,456 to $127,171 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Captains pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 8.1% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.1% wage growth of the broader market (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
the broader market is running a 4.4% job-openings rate with quits at 2.0% (BLS JOLTS).
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 3.6 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: national job openings little changed at 7.4M (4.4% rate), hires flat at 5.3M, quits steady at 2.0%.
Jul 31, 2026ECI Q2 2026: national wages rose 3.2% over the year while CPI reached 3.5%, the first negative real-wage reading since 2022. Benefit costs accelerated to 3.8%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is $92,456 per year ($44.45/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $63,877 and $127,171 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $170,643 per year. There are approximately 36,850 captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.5%
Little or no change
Annual openings
4K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
41K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Inland Water Transportation
NAICS 483200
10K
$105,650
Support Activities for Water Transportation
NAICS 488300
9K
$102,440
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation
NAICS 483100
5K
$95,610
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water
NAICS 487200
4K
$60,380
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
1K
$88,880
Wage range across top 5 industries: $60,380 to $105,650 (75% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$22.80
$47,424
P25
$30.71
$63,877
P50MEDIAN
$44.45
$92,456
P75
$61.14
$127,171
P90
$82.04
$170,643
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market stayed steady in June: job openings were little changed at 7.4M (rate 4.4%), hires held at 5.3M, and total separations changed little at 5.4M. Quits were 3.2M (rate 2.0%). Openings rose in transportation, warehousing & utilities (+97K) and fell in wholesale trade (-74K).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels salary?
The national median salary for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is $92,456 per year ($44.45/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $63,877 and $127,171 annually.
How much do top-earning captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels make?
The 90th percentile salary for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is $170,643 per year ($82.04/hr). The 75th percentile is $127,171 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels?
Entry-level Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (10th percentile) earn approximately $47,424 per year ($22.80/hr). The 25th percentile is $63,877 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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