Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels · SOC 53-5021
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary in the Washington Metro Area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
Figures describe the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Washington city limits.
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area earned a median of $94,150 per year ($45.26 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $53,260 at the 10th percentile to $153,760 at the 90th. BLS estimates 150 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in the Washington metro area earn more than $94,150 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $67,740 and $131,080.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $53,260 | $67,740 | $94,150 | $131,080 | $153,760 |
| Hourly | $25.61 | $32.57 | $45.26 | $63.02 | $73.92 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Washington metro areathis metro area$94,150 median for Washington metro area; middle half earns $67,740 to $131,080
- United Statesnational$92,460 median for United States; middle half earns $63,880 to $127,180
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is +2% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally
Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Washington metro area has the 20th-highest published median for this occupation among the 75 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for captains, mates, and pilots of water vesselss · Highest-paying occupations in Washington Metro
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.