Transportation and material moving
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.
Median pay
$92,460
Growth to 2035
+4%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
3,800
Time to qualify*
3 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- Less than 5 years
Calculate your switch to captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels: 82% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
Also called: Boat Captain · Captain · Ferry Boat Captain · First Mate · Harbor Pilot · Mate · River Pilot · Ship Pilot
Outlook and AI
Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels held 41,300 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 42,900 by 2035 (+4%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Sailors and marine oilers
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Motorboat operator
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Ship engineer
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Commercial pilot
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Transportation inspector
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Bridge and lock tenders
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Aircraft cargo handling supervisor
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Locomotive engineer
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels vs. Dredge operator