Ship captain earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level ship captain earnings begin at:

$34.70 per hour

$72,170 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level ship captain earnings begin at:

$29.00 per hour

$60,330 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level ship captain earnings begin at:

$22.30 per hour

$46,390 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level ship captain earnings begin at:

$16.82 per hour

$34,980 per year

10th percentile

Starting level ship captain earnings begin at:

$13.33 per hour

$27,730 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Ship captain salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Texas $98,990
Oregon $86,920
Oklahoma $86,570
Maryland $85,930
New York $84,400
Washington $82,870
Mississippi $79,090
Louisiana $78,970
Indiana $74,810
Pennsylvania $74,780
Iowa $73,720
New Jersey $73,590
Alabama $72,970
Delaware $72,660
Minnesota $71,130
Virginia $70,990
Alaska $69,400
Connecticut $64,970
California $63,110
Florida $62,080
Kentucky $61,620
Georgia $60,180
South Carolina $58,390
Maine $56,870
Massachusetts $56,450
Wisconsin $53,650
Hawaii $52,830
New Hampshire $52,390
Michigan $51,850
Ohio $46,390
North Carolina $45,540
Illinois $43,670
Virgin Islands, U.S. $41,120
Tennessee $40,460
Rhode Island $40,420
Puerto Rico $28,580

How do ship captain salaries compare to similar careers?

Ship captains earn about the same as related careers in Ohio. On average, they make less than freight and cargo inspectors but more than highway maintenance workers.

Career Median Salary
Freight and cargo inspector salary $49K
Rail transportation worker salary $57K
Flight attendant salary $58K
Traffic technician salary $50K
Avionics technician salary $50K
Shipmate salary $46K
Ship captain salary $46K
Truck driver salary $43K
Cargo and freight agent salary $40K
Highway maintenance worker salary $41K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)