Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: Career Profile
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
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What Do Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels include:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Able Bodied Seaman (AB Seaman)
- Able Bodied Tankerman (AB Tankerman)
- Area Relief Pilot
- Bar Pilot
- Barge Captain
- Barge Master
- Barge Mate
- Barge Pilot
How Many Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Are There?
There are roughly 1,042,808 captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -0.1% over the projection horizon.
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $27,869 |
| Hourly median | $13.40 |
| 10th percentile | $20,000 |
| 25th percentile | $22,000 |
| 75th percentile | $34,125 |
| 90th percentile | $40,380 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | $112,670 |
| Texas | $105,790 |
| Washington | $104,560 |
| New York | $103,510 |
| Louisiana | $103,430 |
| Iowa | $100,330 |
| Maryland | $95,210 |
| West Virginia | $95,170 |
| Tennessee | $91,880 |
| New Jersey | $91,700 |
| Arkansas | $89,340 |
| Minnesota | $83,920 |
| Virginia | $82,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $82,050 |
| Kentucky | $81,820 |
| Indiana | $81,510 |
| Alaska | $80,430 |
| Georgia | $80,180 |
| California | $79,560 |
| Missouri | $78,020 |
| Alabama | $76,400 |
| Illinois | $76,090 |
| Hawaii | $75,980 |
| Oregon | $75,590 |
| Michigan | $72,810 |
| Connecticut | $72,380 |
| Delaware | $71,700 |
| Massachusetts | $67,690 |
| Rhode Island | $67,250 |
| North Carolina | $66,680 |
| New Hampshire | $66,560 |
| Wisconsin | $64,610 |
| Florida | $63,540 |
| Guam | $62,400 |
| Vermont | $61,880 |
| Maine | $61,280 |
| South Carolina | $58,280 |
| Ohio | $52,000 |
| Utah | $49,120 |
| Puerto Rico | $36,080 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest | $105,790 | 11.6% | 1.29 |
| Middle Atlantic | $96,716 | 11.4% | 0.83 |
| Far Western US | $86,519 | 15.0% | 2.54 |
| Southeast | $85,674 | 48.2% | 6.52 |
| Plains States | $82,952 | 1.6% | 0.43 |
| Great Lakes | $73,625 | 7.4% | 0.68 |
| New England | $67,065 | 4.2% | 1.17 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $20,688 | 0.7% | 8.71 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | TX | $116,620 | 2,850 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | LA | $116,130 | 730 |
| Lake Charles, LA | LA | $113,350 | 160 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $110,810 | 400 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | TX | $109,810 | 200 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | WA | $107,000 | 60 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | WA | $107,000 | 40 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $106,590 | 2,510 |
Which Industries Hire Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
The bulk of captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing | 26,550 | $92,440 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1,210 | $59,900 |
| Construction | 1,130 | $82,390 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 690 | $85,520 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 560 | $128,740 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 550 | $61,080 |
| Educational Services | 370 | $64,460 |
| Wholesale Trade | 350 | $138,780 |
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk Revit (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The work environment for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Frequency of Decision Making
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
- Contact With Others
- Freedom to Make Decisions
Education and Training
Typical captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (Supplemental)
- Fishing and Hunting Workers (Supplemental)
- Commercial Divers (Supplemental)
- Riggers (Supplemental)
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (Primary-Long)
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers (Primary-Short)
- Commercial Pilots (Primary-Short)
- Airfield Operations Specialists (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels typically earn programs in:
Transportation and Materials Moving
2 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 53-5021.00 (Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels).
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