Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-5021 · O*NET 53-5021.00
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels fall under the Transportation and Material Moving category in the U.S. occupational classification. Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels earn a median salary of $85,540 per year, ranking in the top 20% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +0.5% job growth through 2034, projected to grow slower than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels earn?
The median annual wage for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels is $85,540. That puts captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels at #163 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $46,260 |
| 25th percentile | $60,800 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $85,540 |
| 75th percentile | $124,530 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $164,230 |
| Median hourly wage | $41.13/hr |
Is captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels is +0.5%, projected to grow slower than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 40K positions in 2024 to 40K in 2034, a net change of 0K. Flat growth typically reflects a mature, stable field. Most openings will come from retirements rather than new positions, which can favor candidates with strong networks and willingness to relocate.
What do captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 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.
Top skills for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel?
Many captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels enter the field with a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, though employers increasingly favor candidates with certifications or some postsecondary coursework. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
What is the median salary for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels?
The median annual salary for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels is $85,540 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels a growing career?
BLS projects +0.5% growth for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels from 2024 through 2034, which is flat growth projected to grow slower than the US average.
What education does my child need to become captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel?
The typical entry path requires a high school diploma plus on-the-job training, certifications, or postsecondary credentials, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels?
Related occupations within the Transportation and Material Moving category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.