SalaryExplorer

SOC 53-5021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels — Savannah

Savannah, GA

$81,090 /year
$38.98per hour
130jobs in area
−12.3%vs US median

The median wage for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Savannah, GA is $81,090 per year, 12.3% below the national median of $92,460.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $92,46010TH$43,830MEDIAN$81,09090TH$121,570

How pay has moved

$87,648$48,3032019202020212022202320242025$81,090
$54,860 in 2019 to $81,090 in 2025, +47.8% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+0.5%
Openings per year
4,300
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Related work experience
Less than 5 years

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

7.1% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Savannah, GA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Savannah, GA is $81,090 per year, 12.3% below the national median of $92,460. Pay ranges from under $43,830 at the tenth percentile to more than $121,570 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $50,710 to $115,720.

The area has 130 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.7 of every thousand jobs. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 75th of 394 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Savannah, GA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$43,830−52.6%
25th$50,710−45.2%
Median (50th)$81,090−12.3%
75th$115,720+25.2%
90th$121,570+31.5%
Mean$93,710+1.4%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Savannah run 4.8% below the national average, so the median of $81,090 goes as far as $85,179 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 7.9% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$81,090as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$85,179US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $81,090 a year, 12.3% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $43,830 to $121,570 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 130 jobs in this occupation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Savannah, GA?

The median annual wage is $81,090, or $38.98 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $92,460, so pay in Savannah, GA is 12.3% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Savannah, GA earns more than $121,570 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $43,830 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 130 jobs in this occupation in Savannah, GA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.