Pay by state · 40 states
Captain, Mate, and Pilot of Water Vessels Salary by State (2026)
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels earn the most in Maryland at $138,950 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $47,410 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $92,460. All 40 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $138,950Maryland
- National median
- $92,460BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $47,410Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 40of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Captain, Mate, and Pilot of Water Vessels salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MDMaryland | $138,950 | $98,450 | $179,520 | 450 | $132,385 |
| 2 | TNTennessee | $132,710 | $76,420 | $165,700 | 940 | $144,454 |
| 3 | LALouisiana | $117,160 | $79,830 | $132,620 | 6,830 | $132,824 |
| 4 | TXTexas | $111,390 | $70,780 | $145,560 | 3,400 | $114,768 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $110,090 | $73,630 | $132,310 | 2,420 | $99,431 |
| 6 | NYNew York | $104,800 | $79,410 | $129,250 | 1,930 | $97,108 |
| 7 | MSMississippi | $104,220 | $75,270 | $137,860 | 570 | $119,858 |
| 8 | WAWashington | $103,730 | $75,470 | $129,040 | 1,560 | $96,932 |
| 9 | IAIowa | $97,700 | $62,190 | $105,670 | 80 | $111,324 |
| 10 | OROregon | $97,050 | $62,770 | $128,000 | 350 | $93,894 |
| 11 | INIndiana | $92,000 | $63,700 | $130,380 | 1,010 | $98,576 |
| 12 | NJNew Jersey | $90,310 | $59,860 | $130,130 | 510 | $83,002 |
| 13 | AKAlaska | $88,230 | $60,750 | $121,700 | 710 | $86,197 |
| 14 | VAVirginia | $87,610 | $66,460 | $120,460 | 2,270 | $86,653 |
| 15 | WVWest Virginia | $85,290 | $61,610 | $102,940 | 110 | $95,299 |
| 16 | MOMissouri | $83,670 | $45,710 | $114,230 | 420 | $92,130 |
| 17 | MNMinnesota | $80,920 | $57,020 | $111,700 | 110 | $82,051 |
| 18 | OKOklahoma | $79,110 | $76,660 | $97,800 | 30 | $90,058 |
| 19 | MAMassachusetts | $77,950 | $62,160 | $101,940 | 650 | $73,707 |
| 20 | GAGeorgia | $77,090 | $44,010 | $101,280 | 220 | $80,058 |
| 21 | RIRhode Island | $76,790 | $56,200 | $103,290 | 250 | $75,078 |
| 22 | FLFlorida | $76,040 | $53,250 | $102,540 | 5,040 | $73,530 |
| 23 | NHNew Hampshire | $75,870 | $66,780 | $102,250 | 70 | $72,836 |
| 24 | CTConnecticut | $75,810 | $72,030 | $114,190 | 380 | $73,169 |
| 25 | WIWisconsin | $74,390 | $64,100 | $103,980 | 170 | $79,058 |
| 26 | DEDelaware | $73,280 | $55,190 | $100,220 | 50 | $73,421 |
| 27 | HIHawaii | $72,960 | $52,980 | $102,750 | 700 | $66,357 |
| 28 | MEMaine | $72,770 | $56,330 | $80,750 | 360 | $74,982 |
| 29 | ILIllinois | $69,600 | $59,830 | $104,330 | 900 | $69,629 |
| 30 | NCNorth Carolina | $69,170 | $57,870 | $95,840 | 490 | $73,331 |
| 31 | ALAlabama | $68,920 | $45,500 | $102,410 | 350 | $77,593 |
| 32 | VTVermont | $64,020 | $45,210 | $112,670 | 40 | $65,355 |
| 33 | PAPennsylvania | $61,420 | $38,580 | $105,650 | 580 | $62,948 |
| 34 | AZArizona | $58,700 | $46,640 | $76,720 | 40 | $58,305 |
| 35 | SCSouth Carolina | $57,660 | $43,780 | $106,710 | 520 | $61,505 |
| 36 | OHOhio | $56,070 | $38,660 | $77,790 | 420 | $60,437 |
| 37 | MIMichigan | $53,590 | $37,950 | $79,440 | 640 | $55,697 |
| 38 | UTUtah | $50,010 | $46,890 | $52,150 | N/A | $50,585 |
| 39 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $48,700 | $36,720 | $59,040 | 130 | N/A |
| 40 | PRPuerto Rico | $47,410 | $34,670 | $71,780 | 120 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, that changes the ranking: Maryland leads on raw pay at $138,950, while Tennessee leads once prices are taken into account at $144,454.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Captain, Mate, and Pilot of Water Vessels pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels the most?
Maryland reports the highest median wage for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels at $138,950 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Tennessee ($132,710) and Louisiana ($117,160).
Which state pays Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels at $47,410 a year, $91,540 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Tennessee first at $144,454 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $132,710. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.