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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

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. Excludes “Motorboat Operators” (53-5022).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
33,370 5.8 % $42.03 $87,420 3.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $17.92 $24.05 $34.78 $50.64 $73.89
Annual Wage (2) $37,270 $50,020 $72,340 $105,330 $153,700


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Inland Water Transportation 9,320 34.75 $42.89 $89,220
Support Activities for Water Transportation 6,530 6.83 $53.25 $110,770
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 6,350 16.40 $37.08 $77,120
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 3,190 18.79 $25.36 $52,760
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 1,290 0.06 $39.18 $81,500

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Inland Water Transportation 9,320 34.75 $42.89 $89,220
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water 3,190 18.79 $25.36 $52,760
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation 6,350 16.40 $37.08 $77,120
Support Activities for Water Transportation 6,530 6.83 $53.25 $110,770
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 1,080 0.88 $40.86 $85,000

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction (8) (8) $61.01 $126,900
Support Activities for Water Transportation 6,530 6.83 $53.25 $110,770
Rental and Leasing Services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only) 460 0.13 $47.59 $98,990
Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging 60 0.20 $47.09 $97,940
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 1,110 0.05 $43.55 $90,580


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 5,770 3.00 13.23 $59.05 $122,830
Florida 4,850 0.55 2.43 $35.44 $73,710
Texas 2,520 0.20 0.89 $38.55 $80,190
New York 2,070 0.22 0.96 $43.29 $90,050
Washington 2,010 0.60 2.66 $47.50 $98,800




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana 5,770 3.00 13.23 $59.05 $122,830
Hawaii 1,270 1.99 8.77 $27.44 $57,070
Alaska 550 1.72 7.58 $36.59 $76,110
Kentucky 1,370 0.72 3.18 $37.07 $77,110
Mississippi 700 0.62 2.75 (8) (8)




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Arkansas 80 0.06 0.27 $59.87 $124,540
Louisiana 5,770 3.00 13.23 $59.05 $122,830
Washington 2,010 0.60 2.66 $47.50 $98,800
New York 2,070 0.22 0.96 $43.29 $90,050
Iowa 50 0.04 0.15 $42.46 $88,330





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 2,380 4.28 18.82 $58.66 $122,010
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 2,340 0.24 1.07 $43.29 $90,040
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 1,950 22.92 100.92 (8) (8)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,800 0.89 3.93 $48.46 $100,800
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 1,510 1.99 8.78 $37.74 $78,490
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,510 0.50 2.18 $39.08 $81,280
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 1,360 2.15 9.46 $35.31 $73,440
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 810 0.13 0.57 $38.05 $79,150
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 620 0.13 0.58 $31.45 $65,420
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 530 0.38 1.69 $39.08 $81,290




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 1,950 22.92 100.92 (8) (8)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 2,380 4.28 18.82 $58.66 $122,010
Lafayette, LA 450 2.29 10.06 $36.83 $76,600
Memphis, TN-MS-AR 1,360 2.15 9.46 $35.31 $73,440
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC 1,510 1.99 8.78 $37.74 $78,490
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 300 1.86 8.19 $53.16 $110,580
Barnstable Town, MA 150 1.45 6.36 $26.93 $56,020
Ocean City, NJ 40 1.03 4.54 $34.30 $71,350
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 150 1.02 4.50 $31.21 $64,930
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 70 0.90 3.96 $35.07 $72,940




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Orleans-Metairie, LA 2,380 4.28 18.82 $58.66 $122,010
Baton Rouge, LA 330 0.83 3.64 $54.37 $113,100
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 300 1.86 8.19 $53.16 $110,580
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 40 0.45 1.98 $49.11 $102,150
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 1,800 0.89 3.93 $48.46 $100,800
Anchorage, AK 70 0.39 1.74 $46.49 $96,690
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 520 0.21 0.92 $46.04 $95,770
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL (8) (8) (8) $45.96 $95,600
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 220 0.18 0.80 $44.81 $93,200
St. Louis, MO-IL 290 0.21 0.93 $43.39 $90,240

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 880 5.88 25.87 $32.92 $68,470
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 480 6.78 29.83 $34.81 $72,410
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 470 4.32 19.01 $35.09 $72,990
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 200 2.01 8.86 $23.60 $49,090
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 130 0.65 2.86 $43.39 $90,240

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 480 6.78 29.83 $34.81 $72,410
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area 880 5.88 25.87 $32.92 $68,470
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 470 4.32 19.01 $35.09 $72,990
Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 200 2.01 8.86 $23.60 $49,090
Northwest Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 100 1.07 4.69 (8) (8)

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Western Washington nonmetropolitan area 60 0.50 2.18 $44.79 $93,170
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 40 0.20 0.87 $43.45 $90,390
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 130 0.65 2.86 $43.39 $90,240
Northeast Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 50 0.61 2.70 $38.50 $80,070
South Illinois nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $38.40 $79,870


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020