Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between captains and lieutenants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a captain has an average salary of $52,161, which is higher than the $47,781 average annual salary of a lieutenant.
The top three skills for a captain include customer service, safety standards and food preparation. The most important skills for a lieutenant are public safety, patrol, and direct supervision.
| Captain | Lieutenant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,161 | $47,781 |
| Hourly rate | $25.08 | $22.97 |
| Growth rate | 1% | - |
| Number of jobs | 4,430 | 79,272 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
Captains oversee the entire operations of a sea vessel, usually ships. Their main responsibility is to ensure that the vessel safely travels from point A to point B. They are expert navigators who manage the course of the vessel. Captains should also be familiar with the different equipment aboard the ship and should be able to use them effectively. They should know how to properly maintain the equipment on board and should also know how to do repairs. Captains also manage their ship's crew and oversee the crews' overall performance. They also manage the finances and other operations-related activities during the course of their travel. Captains should have good communication skills, quick decision-making skills, and expert navigation skills.
A lieutenant is responsible for overseeing operations in police departments, evaluating departmental cases, cooperating in law enforcement investigations, monitoring internal activities, and ensuring the safety and security of the premises. Lieutenants also enforce rules and regulations for everyone's strict compliance, inspect police department facilities, and identify serious offenses. They also confiscate violating items, document any evidence for further investigation. A lieutenant must have excellent leadership skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the law regulations to maintain the credibility and integrity of the police operations.
Captains and lieutenants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Captain | Lieutenant | |
| Average salary | $52,161 | $47,781 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $85,000 | Between $41,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Denver, CO |
| Highest paying state | California | Colorado |
| Best paying company | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Technology |
There are a few differences between a captain and a lieutenant in terms of educational background:
| Captain | Lieutenant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between captains' and lieutenants' demographics:
| Captain | Lieutenant | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |