Ship Captains & Mates earn $92,460 nationally at the median. The middle 50% of workers fall between $63,880 and $127,180. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and experience.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a ship captains & mates: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Marine Transportation and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
Command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Required to hold license issued by U.S. Coast Guard.
Also known as:
Most ship captains & mates take home around $92,460 a year, well above what most college graduates make. Half earn somewhere between $63,880 and $127,180, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Worth weighing against how long the training takes. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Well above average for college graduates.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
The mean wage for this occupation is $103,720, above the median. A concentration of very high earners pulls the average up. The median is the better gauge of typical pay.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
Hands-on tasks, physical activity, or working with tools and real materials are central parts of the daily work here.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
Leadership, influence, and business acumen are rewarded here, where managing teams, driving decisions, or persuading others shapes career outcomes.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
High time pressure and significant consequences for errors. Deadline-driven or high-stakes decisions are common.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +4.0%, meaning it is growing at about the same pace as everything else, so expect steady demand. Around 3,800 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
About as fast as average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Ship Captains & Mates professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $92,460 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana | 6,830 | $117,160 | +26.7% |
| 2 | Florida | 5,040 | $76,040 | -17.8% |
| 3 | Texas | 3,400 | $111,390 | +20.5% |
| 4 | California | 2,420 | $110,090 | +19.1% |
| 5 | Virginia | 2,270 | $87,610 | -5.2% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a postsecondary nondegree award. The program below is the most common route in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
A medium amount of preparation is required, often an associate degree, certificate program, or apprenticeship, plus some related experience.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marine Transportation | 1,173 | $117,011 | 27 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY | 87 | $6,174 | $90,610 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | 80 | $21,315 | $72,097 |
| 3 | West Kentucky Community and Technical College Paducah, KY | 77 | $5,353 | $34,891 |
| 4 | Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City, MI | 76 | $6,231 | $38,167 |
| 5 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY | 75 | $22,367 | $95,951 |
| 6 | Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA | 74 | $7,203 | $47,348 |
Once you've sized up Ship Captains & Mates, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Ship Captains & Mates pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
The data on Ship Captains & Mates shows 4 measurable strengths and 1 real trade-offs. All points are drawn from BLS wage data, employment projections, and IPEDS program completions.
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