Career profile · 53-5021
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
What the work can involve
- 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.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Transportation
- Public Safety and Security
- Mechanical
- Law and Government
- English Language
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Controlling Machines and Processes
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 68.5%08/2022 · sample 84 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 51.2%08/2022 · sample 82 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 65.7%08/2022 · sample 82 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 31.0%08/2022 · sample 83 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 41.8%08/2022 · sample 84 |
| Spend Time Standing | More than half the time | 39.2%08/2022 · sample 84 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 61.3%08/2022 · sample 84 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 47.4%08/2022 · sample 82 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 65.7%08/2022 · sample 84 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 45.9%08/2022 · sample 81 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Groundwater modeling system GMS
- Calendar and scheduling software: Microsoft Office Outlook
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk Revit
- Data base user interface and query software: KNMI TurboWin, Log book software
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Facilities management software: Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software: SHIPNEXT
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Apple macOS
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
- Route navigation software: FURUNO navigational chart software, JRC navigation software, Jeppesen Marine Nobeltec Admiral, Maptech The CAPN
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 39 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $68,920 | $33.13 | 350 |
| Alaska | $88,230 | $42.42 | 710 |
| Arizona | $58,700 | $28.22 | 40 |
| California | $110,090 | $52.93 | 2,420 |
| Connecticut | $75,810 | $36.45 | 380 |
| Delaware | $73,280 | $35.23 | 50 |
| Florida | $76,040 | $36.56 | 5,040 |
| Georgia | $77,090 | $37.06 | 220 |
| Hawaii | $72,960 | $35.08 | 700 |
| Illinois | $69,600 | $33.46 | 900 |
| Indiana | $92,000 | $44.23 | 1,010 |
| Iowa | $97,700 | $46.97 | 80 |
| Kentucky | Not published | Not published | 1,060 |
| Louisiana | $117,160 | $56.33 | 6,830 |
| Maine | $72,770 | $34.99 | 360 |
| Maryland | $138,950 | $66.80 | 450 |
| Massachusetts | $77,950 | $37.47 | 650 |
| Michigan | $53,590 | $25.76 | 640 |
| Minnesota | $80,920 | $38.90 | 110 |
| Mississippi | $104,220 | $50.11 | 570 |
| Missouri | $83,670 | $40.23 | 420 |
| New Hampshire | $75,870 | $36.48 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $90,310 | $43.42 | 510 |
| New York | $104,800 | $50.39 | 1,930 |
| North Carolina | $69,170 | $33.26 | 490 |
| Ohio | $56,070 | $26.96 | 420 |
| Oklahoma | $79,110 | $38.03 | 30 |
| Oregon | $97,050 | $46.66 | 350 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,420 | $29.53 | 580 |
| Rhode Island | $76,790 | $36.92 | 250 |
| South Carolina | $57,660 | $27.72 | 520 |
| Tennessee | $132,710 | $63.80 | 940 |
| Texas | $111,390 | $53.55 | 3,400 |
| Utah | $50,010 | $24.04 | Not published |
| Vermont | $64,020 | $30.78 | 40 |
| Virginia | $87,610 | $42.12 | 2,270 |
| Washington | $103,730 | $49.87 | 1,560 |
| West Virginia | $85,290 | $41.00 | 110 |
| Wisconsin | $74,390 | $35.76 | 170 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 99 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 53-5021.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.