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The differences between captains and police sergeants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a police sergeant has an average salary of $65,562, which is higher than the $52,161 average annual salary of a captain.
The top three skills for a captain include customer service, safety standards and food preparation. The most important skills for a police sergeant are patrol, public safety, and emergency situations.
| Captain | Police Sergeant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,161 | $65,562 |
| Hourly rate | $25.08 | $31.52 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,430 | 81,493 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| 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 Police Sergeant is responsible for supervising patrol officers and agents, as assigned. They oversee and assess the performance of subordinates, such as disciplinary actions, continued training, and counseling.
Captains and police sergeants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Captain | Police Sergeant | |
| Average salary | $52,161 | $65,562 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $85,000 | Between $48,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Cruz, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Loyola University Maryland | |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Government |
There are a few differences between a captain and a police sergeant in terms of educational background:
| Captain | Police Sergeant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between captains' and police sergeants' demographics:
| Captain | Police Sergeant | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6% | Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8% |
| 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, 11.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |