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Captain salary
Average captain salary
$52,161
How much does a captain make?
The average captain salary in the United States is $52,161. Captain salaries typically range between $31,000 and $85,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for captains is $25.08 per hour.
Captain salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Captains earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Captain earn more?
Captain salary estimates from across the web
Average captain salary by state
Highest paying states for captains
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $54,621 | $26.26 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $56,850 | $27.33 |
| 3 | Michigan | $52,920 | $25.44 |
| 4 | North Carolina | $53,528 | $25.73 |
| 5 | Ohio | $53,228 | $25.59 |
| 6 | Arizona | $53,336 | $25.64 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $56,723 | $27.27 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $54,365 | $26.14 |
| 9 | Delaware | $57,410 | $27.60 |
| 10 | Indiana | $51,205 | $24.62 |
| 11 | South Carolina | $51,396 | $24.71 |
| 12 | Virginia | $56,090 | $26.97 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $50,311 | $24.19 |
| 14 | Tennessee | $50,552 | $24.30 |
| 15 | Texas | $51,156 | $24.59 |
| 16 | California | $57,525 | $27.66 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $54,014 | $25.97 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $56,687 | $27.25 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $51,429 | $24.73 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $50,620 | $24.34 |
| 21 | New York | $56,065 | $26.95 |
| 22 | Maryland | $56,802 | $27.31 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $52,306 | $25.15 |
| 24 | Florida | $50,692 | $24.37 |
| 25 | Oregon | $52,904 | $25.43 |
| 26 | Alaska | $51,450 | $24.74 |
| 27 | Alabama | $49,835 | $23.96 |
| 28 | Washington | $51,164 | $24.60 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $49,119 | $23.61 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $56,926 | $27.37 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $51,116 | $24.57 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $49,002 | $23.56 |
| 33 | Georgia | $50,246 | $24.16 |
| 34 | Utah | $48,521 | $23.33 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $49,576 | $23.83 |
| 36 | Colorado | $47,637 | $22.90 |
| 37 | Illinois | $50,608 | $24.33 |
| 38 | Kansas | $48,273 | $23.21 |
| 39 | Iowa | $48,632 | $23.38 |
| 40 | Massachusetts | $49,781 | $23.93 |
| 41 | Idaho | $48,511 | $23.32 |
| 42 | New Hampshire | $47,175 | $22.68 |
| 43 | Missouri | $48,845 | $23.48 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $47,326 | $22.75 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $47,913 | $23.04 |
| 46 | Montana | $46,515 | $22.36 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $49,271 | $23.69 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $46,730 | $22.47 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $47,200 | $22.69 |
| 50 | Vermont | $44,312 | $21.30 |
| 51 | Maine | $42,501 | $20.43 |
Highest paying cities for captains
The highest-paying cities for captains are San Francisco, CA, Philadelphia, PA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $59,421 | $28.57 |
| 2 | Philadelphia, PA | $57,444 | $27.62 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $56,616 | $27.22 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $56,566 | $27.20 |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | $54,647 | $26.27 |
| 6 | Raleigh, NC | $54,251 | $26.08 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $53,409 | $25.68 |
| 8 | Portland, OR | $52,490 | $25.24 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $51,734 | $24.87 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $51,657 | $24.84 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $51,651 | $24.83 |
| 12 | San Juan, PR | $51,555 | $24.79 |
| 13 | Indianapolis, IN | $51,223 | $24.63 |
| 14 | Milwaukee, WI | $50,857 | $24.45 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $50,722 | $24.39 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $50,323 | $24.19 |
| 17 | Boston, MA | $49,415 | $23.76 |
| 18 | Saint Paul, MN | $49,312 | $23.71 |
| 19 | Denver, CO | $47,622 | $22.90 |
| 20 | Portland, ME | $43,506 | $20.92 |
Captains are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Captain salary details
A captain's salary ranges from $31,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $85,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a captain's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 75th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| Average | $52,161 | $4,347 | $25 |
| 25th Percentile | $40,000 | $3,333 | $19 |
| 10th Percentile | $31,000 | $2,583 | $15 |
Highest paying captain jobs
The highest paying types of captains are quarter master, master mariner, and oil tanker captain.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banquet Captain | $34,428 | $2,869 | $16.55 | 60,883 |
| Boat Captain | $43,632 | $3,636 | $20.98 | 2,860 |
| Port Captain | $57,720 | $4,810 | $27.75 | 3,973 |
Top companies hiring captains now:
Which companies pay captains the most?
Captain salaries at Google and Adobe are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average captain salary at companies like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Gilead Sciences are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $122,079 | $58.69 | |
| 2 | Adobe | $96,383 | $46.34 |
| 3 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $94,333 | $45.35 |
| 4 | Gilead Sciences | $73,260 | $35.22 |
| 5 | CESO | $72,655 | $34.93 |
| 6 | CyberCoders | $71,339 | $34.30 |
| 7 | Farnsworth Group | $70,655 | $33.97 |
| 8 | Stantec | $69,752 | $33.53 |
| 9 | Johnson & Johnson | $69,400 | $33.37 |
| 10 | Goldbelt Falcon | $68,627 | $32.99 |
| 11 | SAIC | $67,971 | $32.68 |
| 12 | Curtain Wall Design and Consulting | $67,728 | $32.56 |
| 13 | American Equity | $67,058 | $32.24 |
| 14 | Kohler Co. | $66,947 | $32.19 |
| 15 | Occidental Petroleum | $66,899 | $32.16 |
| 16 | DuPont | $66,856 | $32.14 |
| 17 | HDR | $66,133 | $31.79 |
| 18 | Zel Technologies | $65,710 | $31.59 |
| 19 | Liberty Mutual Insurance | $65,288 | $31.39 |
| 20 | Reckitt Benckiser | $64,640 | $31.08 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Captain salary by industry
The average captain salary varies across industries:
- The average captain salary in the transportation industry is $56,617, the highest of any industry.
- The average captain salary in the finance industry is $55,328.
- Captains in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $40,397, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for captains
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transportation | $56,617 | $27.22 |
| 2 | Energy | $55,328 | $26.60 |
| 3 | Professional | $51,550 | $24.78 |
| 4 | Government | $51,361 | $24.69 |
| 5 | Education | $51,013 | $24.53 |
| 6 | Media | $49,363 | $23.73 |
| 7 | Hospitality | $40,397 | $19.42 |
High Paying Captain Jobs
Captain salary trends
The average captain salary has risen by $8,933 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average captain earned $43,228 annually, but today, they earn $52,161 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for captains over the last decade.
Compare captain salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average captain salary over time
Compare captain salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Captain salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $52,200 | $25.08 | +6.2% |
| 2024 | $48,900 | $23.52 | +4.4% |
| 2023 | $46,800 | $22.49 | -2.5% |
| 2022 | $48,000 | $23.06 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | $49,200 | $23.63 | -5.6% |
Recently added captain salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macy's | Selling and Support Captain | Kentwood, MI | 12/16/2024 | $34,436 |
| Macy's | Selling and Support Captain | Savannah, GA | 12/16/2024 | $34,436 |
| Mve Architects | Job Captain II | Irvine, CA | 12/16/2024 | $83,000 |
| Chateau Resort | Table Captain | Ione, WA | 12/16/2024 | $62,610 |
| Macy's Inc. | Selling and Support Captain | Madison, WI | 12/15/2024 | $34,436 |
| MG2 Corporation | Job Captain | McLean, VA | 12/15/2024 | $80,000 |
| Sbhu | RV Seawolf Captain | Stony Brook, NY | 12/15/2024 | $105,000 |
| Joyville Inc. | Social Media Captain | Dallas, TX | 12/15/2024 | $83,480 |
| Ameriflight | Emb-120 Captain | Spokane, WA | 12/14/2024 | $97,091 |
| Revel Architecture & Design | Job Captain | San Francisco, CA | 12/14/2024 | $85,000 |
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