SOC 53-5021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels — Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
The median wage for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Virginia Beach, VA is $86,940 per year, close to the national median of $92,460 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC.
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 Virginia Beach, VA is $86,940 per year, close to the national median of $92,460 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $54,560 at the tenth percentile to more than $130,190 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $66,460 to $113,320.
The area has 2,050 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 2.7 of every thousand jobs. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 125th of 593 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $54,560 | −41.0% |
| 25th | $66,460 | −28.1% |
| Median (50th) | $86,940 | −6.0% |
| 75th | $113,320 | +22.6% |
| 90th | $130,190 | +40.8% |
| Mean | $92,370 | −0.1% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Virginia Beach run 2.1% below the national average, so the median of $86,940 goes as far as $88,805 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 4.0% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$86,940as reported by BLSLocal price level
97.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$88,805US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $86,940 a year, 6.0% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $54,560 to $130,190 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 2,050 jobs in this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Virginia Beach, VA?
The median annual wage is $86,940, or $41.80 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 Virginia Beach, VA is 6.0% 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 Virginia Beach, VA earns more than $130,190 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $54,560 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 2,050 jobs in this occupation in Virginia Beach, VA. 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.
Explore related data