Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Median $92,460
Occupation · SOC 53-5011
Sailors and Marine Oilers: pay and where the jobs are
What sailors and marine oilers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$51,520 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $56,830
- Median hourly wage
- $24.77
- Mean hourly wage
- $27.32
- Employment
- 31,670
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-5011.
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See where your pay falls among sailors and marine oilers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do sailors and marine oilers make?
The median annual wage for sailors and marine oilers was $51,520 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $34,560 and the highest-paid 10% more than $83,620. As an hourly rate, the median is $24.77. About 31,670 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($76,140), New Jersey ($71,880) and Oregon ($70,410). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Tennessee.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for sailors and marine oilers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $34,560 | $16.61 | $2,880 | $2,496 |
| 25th percentile | $41,430 | $19.92 | $3,453 | $2,956 |
| Median | $51,520 | $24.77 | $4,293 | $3,631 |
| 75th percentile | $67,590 | $32.50 | $5,633 | $4,698 |
| 90th percentile | $83,620 | $40.20 | $6,968 | $5,638 |
Sailors and Marine Oilers: pay by state
36 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$55,357 take-home in national prices
2
$52,779 take-home in national prices
3
$51,911 take-home in national prices
Where a median sailors and marine oiler paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 340 | $76,140 | $46,810 | $108,010 | $58,031 | $52,779 |
| New Jersey | 520 | $71,880 | $38,480 | $94,470 | $56,482 | $51,911 |
| Oregon | 210 | $70,410 | $45,040 | $91,140 | $53,199 | $51,470 |
| Washington | 1,590 | $66,700 | $45,200 | $84,120 | $54,828 | $51,235 |
| Alaska | 480 | $63,130 | $40,200 | $91,730 | $52,634 | $51,421 |
| Tennessee | 870 | $60,580 | $33,070 | $78,070 | $50,856 | $55,357 |
| Delaware | 80 | $60,040 | $44,990 | $63,860 | $47,527 | $47,618 |
| Florida | 2,710 | $57,930 | $34,230 | $79,150 | $48,727 | $47,118 |
| Minnesota | 90 | $56,680 | $36,680 | $79,780 | $45,142 | $45,773 |
| Indiana | 570 | $56,570 | $34,470 | $102,210 | $45,995 | $49,282 |
| Texas | 4,270 | $55,610 | $38,360 | $95,820 | $46,863 | $48,284 |
| California | 1,680 | $55,180 | $37,210 | $79,290 | $44,449 | $40,146 |
| New York | 1,570 | $54,210 | $34,070 | $78,860 | $43,142 | $39,976 |
| Ohio | 140 | $53,520 | $31,770 | $58,270 | $44,155 | $47,594 |
| Missouri | 220 | $51,940 | $30,810 | $75,920 | $42,410 | $46,698 |
| Michigan | 250 | $51,310 | $37,100 | $62,130 | $41,478 | $43,108 |
| South Carolina | 210 | $50,500 | $33,890 | $83,300 | $41,724 | $44,506 |
| Mississippi | 490 | $50,390 | $35,430 | $61,790 | $41,385 | $47,594 |
| Virginia | 2,970 | $49,120 | $32,660 | $60,650 | $39,638 | $39,205 |
| Illinois | 420 | $49,090 | $37,450 | $85,870 | $39,339 | $39,355 |
| Wisconsin | 110 | $48,880 | $33,070 | $76,860 | $39,934 | $42,440 |
| Rhode Island | 210 | $48,860 | $31,200 | $110,290 | $39,686 | $38,802 |
| Iowa | 70 | $48,100 | $35,820 | $60,470 | $39,652 | $45,182 |
| Kentucky | 1,470 | $47,460 | $36,580 | $62,080 | $38,771 | $43,002 |
| West Virginia | 100 | $47,370 | $35,160 | $69,050 | $38,909 | $43,475 |
| Maine | 240 | $46,800 | $39,550 | $60,840 | $38,053 | $39,210 |
| Louisiana | 7,580 | $46,610 | $29,730 | $92,420 | $38,619 | $43,782 |
| Connecticut | 400 | $45,280 | $37,600 | $73,790 | $36,548 | $35,275 |
| North Carolina | 310 | $44,770 | $33,420 | $60,240 | $36,875 | $39,093 |
| Massachusetts | 420 | $44,070 | $34,180 | $75,130 | $35,404 | $33,477 |
| Alabama | 290 | $43,000 | $38,370 | $70,300 | $34,970 | $39,370 |
| Pennsylvania | 210 | $38,810 | $35,810 | $61,630 | $32,145 | $32,945 |
| Georgia | 80 | $37,500 | $25,870 | $48,350 | $31,189 | $32,389 |
| Puerto Rico | Not published | $30,700 | $23,130 | $32,320 | — | — |
| Virgin Islands | 120 | $29,990 | $26,920 | $47,950 | — | — |
| Arkansas | 70 | $23,960 | $22,880 | $60,300 | $20,927 | $24,072 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-5011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.