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Role hub · Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Ship Captain: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
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Median percentile pay

Half of ship captains earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$92,460
Hourly
$44.45
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Ship Captains command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. The median pay is $92,460 a year ($44.45 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (42% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$92,460
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
36,850
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Most common education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
42% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (O*NET-SOC 53-5021.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Ship Captains at a glance

  • Workers in the BLS occupation “Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels” in the United States earned a median annual wage of $92,460 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education for workers in the BLS occupation “Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels” in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of workers in the BLS occupation “Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels” in the United States to grow 4.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 36,850 people were employed in the BLS occupation “Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels” in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Ship Captains

SalaryShip Captain salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

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The work

What ship captains do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
  2. Prevent ships under navigational control from engaging in unsafe operations.
  3. Serve as a vessel's docking master upon arrival at a port or at a berth.
  4. Consult maps, charts, weather reports, or navigation equipment to determine and direct ship movements.
  5. Steer and operate vessels, using radios, depth finders, radars, lights, buoys, or lighthouses.
  6. Operate ship-to-shore radios to exchange information needed for ship operations.
  7. Dock or undock vessels, sometimes maneuvering through narrow spaces, such as locks.
  8. Stand watches on vessels during specified periods while vessels are under way.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all ship captain jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Water transportation35.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $112,130
  2. Support activities for transportation23.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $113,180
  3. Scenic and sightseeing transportation11.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $70,950
  4. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals6.2% of all jobs in this occupation · -1.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $93,960
  5. Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries2.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $80,950
  6. Heavy and civil engineering construction2.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $93,430

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Operation and ControlcoreSpeakingcoreMonitoringcoreOperations MonitoringJudgment and Decision MakingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingCoordinationComplex Problem Solving

Knowledge areas: Transportation, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Law and Government, English Language, Geography.

Tools and technology

Software ship captains use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk RevitComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Computerized maintenance management system CMMSFacilities management software
  • FURUNO navigational chart softwareRoute navigation software
  • Groundwater modeling system GMSAnalytical or scientific software
  • JRC navigation softwareRoute navigation software
  • Jeppesen Marine Nobeltec AdmiralRoute navigation software
  • Maptech The CAPNRoute navigation software
  • Navigational chart softwareRoute navigation software
  • SHIPNEXTMaterials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • Apple macOSOperating system softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology

Also called: Boat Captain, Captain, Ferry Boat Captain, First Mate, Harbor Pilot, Mate.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.