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Captain vs sergeant

The differences between captains and sergeants 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 $48,557 average annual salary of a sergeant.

The top three skills for a captain include customer service, safety standards and food preparation. The most important skills for a sergeant are safety procedures, patrol, and direct supervision.

Captain vs sergeant overview

CaptainSergeant
Yearly salary$52,161$48,557
Hourly rate$25.08$23.34
Growth rate1%-10%
Number of jobs4,43079,335
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age4246
Years of experience6-

What does a captain do?

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.

What does a sergeant do?

A Sergeant is responsible for supervising a group of five or more Soldiers. Sergeants must oversee their daily activities, ensuring they are in proper disposition and are living under the conditions that adhere to the laws and regulations and training them according to the standards of the military. Furthermore, it is a Sergeant's responsibility to serve the public and report to the higher-ups, instill discipline to oneself, and serve as a role model to lower-ranked soldiers.

Captain vs sergeant salary

Captains and sergeants have different pay scales, as shown below.

CaptainSergeant
Average salary$52,161$48,557
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $85,000Between $35,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANew York, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyGoogleColumbia University in the City of New York
Best paying industryTransportationGovernment

Differences between captain and sergeant education

There are a few differences between a captain and a sergeant in terms of educational background:

CaptainSergeant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common majorBusinessCriminal Justice
Most common collegeStanford UniversityPennsylvania State University

Captain vs sergeant demographics

Here are the differences between captains' and sergeants' demographics:

CaptainSergeant
Average age4246
Gender ratioMale, 65.4% Female, 34.6%Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between captain and sergeant duties and responsibilities

Captain example responsibilities.

  • Delegate responsibilities to crew members, verify inventory, manage payroll, steer the ship and operate dredge.
  • Lead the team as defensive captain to win the national championship of the most elite football level in Mexico.
  • Lead a platoon that earn numerous awards for jamming opposition force artillery nets and conducting counterattacks on opposition electronic warfare platoons.
  • Participate in intramural volleyball, basketball and indoor and outdoor soccer.
  • Ensure the synchronized delivery of additional manpower to combat operations by utilizing all available assets and effective logistics management.
  • Complete CPR and a training.
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Sergeant example responsibilities.

  • Manage critical incidents including barricade gunmen, VIP visits, homicides, shootings and in-progress crimes.
  • Manage and submit all schedules for maximum security unit, and all non security staff assign to that unit.
  • Monitor and manage enlisted promotion boards and actions; publish promotion orders for soldiers being promote to SGT and SSG.
  • Assist in establishing overall S3 objectives and accomplishing assign missions.
  • Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
  • Implement USAF, DoD and MAJCOM security policies while balancing operational needs with security requirements for the protection of classify information.
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Captain vs sergeant skills

Common captain skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Safety Standards, 11%
  • Food Preparation, 11%
  • POS, 5%
  • Role Model, 5%
  • Logistics, 4%
Common sergeant skills
  • Safety Procedures, 16%
  • Patrol, 14%
  • Direct Supervision, 9%
  • Emergency Situations, 7%
  • Combat, 6%
  • CPR, 5%

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