Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers vs Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: $232K vs $92K Median Pay

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers vs Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: what changes?

Consider Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers if you want to pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Consider Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels if you would rather command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Entry credentials differ: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, bachelor's degree; Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, postsecondary nondegree award. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers (less than 5 years) and Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers and Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

National median pay (2025): $232,140
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 11,200

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers brief

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

National median pay (2025): $92,460
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Direct courses and speeds of ships, based on specialized knowledge of local winds, weather, water depths, tides, currents, and hazards.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,800

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels brief

How the national numbers differ

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers has the edge on projected growth

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is at 8.3% projected growth, compared with 4% projected growth for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers has the edge on annual openings

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is at 11,200 annual openings, compared with 3,800 annual openings for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers has the edge on median pay

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is at $232,140, compared with $92,460 for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.

Typical preparation differs.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

75.3/ 100

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

60.2/ 100

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers vs Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Dimension	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
Median pay (2025)	$232,140	$92,460
Pay percentile	97.7 percentile	77.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	8.3%	4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	11,200	3,800
2025 employment	104,600	41,300
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers brief Read Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels brief

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers vs Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

How the national numbers differ

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers has the edge on projected growth

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers has the edge on annual openings

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers vs Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

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