Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels vs Locomotive Engineers: $92K vs $81K Median Pay

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels vs Locomotive Engineers: what changes?

Consider Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels if you want to command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats. Consider Locomotive Engineers if you would rather drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas-turbine-electric locomotives to transport passengers or freight. Entry credentials differ: Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels, postsecondary nondegree award; Locomotive Engineers, high school diploma or equivalent. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels (less than 5 years) and Locomotive Engineers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels and Locomotive Engineers. 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

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

Locomotive Engineers

National median pay (2025): $81,410
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; 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: Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,000

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 Locomotive Engineers brief

How the national numbers differ

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels has the edge on projected growth

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is at 4% projected growth, compared with 0.5% projected growth for Locomotive Engineers.

Typical preparation differs.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Locomotive Engineers: High school diploma or equivalent; 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 Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels has the edge on annual openings

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is at 3,800 annual openings, compared with 2,000 annual openings for Locomotive Engineers.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels has the edge on median pay

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is at $92,460, compared with $81,410 for Locomotive Engineers.

60.2/ 100

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

51.4/ 100

Locomotive Engineers

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

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels vs Locomotive Engineers

Dimension	Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels	Locomotive Engineers
Median pay (2025)	$92,460	$81,410
Pay percentile	77.8 percentile	74 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4%	0.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	3,800	2,000
2025 employment	41,300	27,400
How you qualify	Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	High school diploma or equivalent; 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
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

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

Read Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels brief Read Locomotive Engineers brief

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels vs Locomotive Engineers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

Locomotive Engineers

How the national numbers differ

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels has the edge on annual openings

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels has the edge on median pay

Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels vs Locomotive Engineers

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