Captain demographics and statistics in the US
Captain demographics research summary. Zippia estimates captain demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our captain estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about captains after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 11,244 captains currently employed in the United States.
- 34.6% of all captains are women, while 65.4% are men.
- The average captain age is 41 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of captains is White (75.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (8.7%), Black or African American (6.7%) and Unknown (4.7%).
- Captains are most in-demand in New York, NY.
- The transportation industry is the highest-paying for captains.
- San Francisco, CA pays an annual average wage of $59,421, the highest in the US.
- In 2022, women captains earned 91% of what men earned.
- 11% of all captains are LGBT.
- Nevada is the best state for captains to live.
- Captains are 51% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to education companies.
On this page
Captain demographics by:
Captain gender statistics
34.6% of captains are women and 65.4% of captains are men.
- Male, 65.4%
- Female, 34.6%
Captain gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 65.4% |
| Female | 34.6% |
Captain gender pay gap
Women earn 91¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$55,437
Female income
$50,486
Captain gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in captain positions over time. Currently, 34.6% of captains are female.
Captain gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 85.07% | 14.93% |
| 2011 | 75.58% | 24.42% |
| 2012 | 77.44% | 22.56% |
| 2013 | 76.66% | 23.34% |
| 2014 | 78.45% | 21.55% |
| 2015 | 76.24% | 23.76% |
| 2016 | 77.37% | 22.63% |
| 2017 | 71.17% | 28.83% |
| 2018 | 73.23% | 26.77% |
| 2019 | 75.32% | 24.68% |
| 2020 | 62.85% | 37.15% |
| 2021 | 65.45% | 34.55% |
Captain related jobs gender ratio
We compared captains with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, barge captain and vessel master have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Relief Master | 17% | 83% |
| Captain | 65% | 35% |
| Deck Mate | 98% | 2% |
| Vessel Master | 98% | 2% |
| Barge Captain | 98% | 2% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Captain demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among captains is White, which makes up 75.8% of all captains. Comparatively, 8.7% of captains are Hispanic or Latino and 6.7% of captains are Black or African American.
- White, 75.8%
- Hispanic or Latino, 8.7%
- Black or African American, 6.7%
- Unknown, 4.7%
- Asian, 3.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
Captain race
| Captain race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 75.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.7% |
| Black or African American | 6.7% |
| Unknown | 4.7% |
| Asian | 3.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
Captain race and ethnicity over time
See how captain racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Captain race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 84.63% | 6.28% | 1.62% | 5.05% |
| 2011 | 83.00% | 5.84% | 0.87% | 6.17% |
| 2012 | 81.99% | 6.10% | 1.49% | 7.19% |
| 2013 | 78.96% | 7.47% | 2.19% | 7.65% |
| 2014 | 83.67% | 5.84% | 1.80% | 5.84% |
| 2015 | 82.76% | 5.68% | 1.59% | 6.90% |
| 2016 | 84.85% | 5.04% | 1.96% | 5.91% |
| 2017 | 79.80% | 5.82% | 2.53% | 7.07% |
| 2018 | 81.35% | 7.46% | 1.40% | 6.27% |
| 2019 | 80.52% | 4.75% | 1.33% | 9.24% |
| 2020 | 76.90% | 4.91% | 1.52% | 8.48% |
| 2021 | 75.76% | 6.66% | 3.11% | 8.70% |
Captain wage gap by race
According to our data, asian captains have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american captains have the lowest average salary at $50,561.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $55,892 |
| White | $57,653 |
| Black or African American | $50,561 |
| Asian | $60,521 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $53,103 |
Average captain age
See how the average age of captains varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Captain age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 40.5 | |
| White | 42 | 36.5 |
| Black or African American | 33 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 31 |
Captain age breakdown
The average age of captains is 40+ years years old, representing 53% of the captain population.
Captain age breakdown
| Captain Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 53% |
| 30-40 years | 22% |
| 20-30 years | 25% |
Captain educational attainment
The most common degree for captains is bachelor's degree, with 67% of captains earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 11% and associate degree degree at 10%.
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Associate, 11%
- High School Diploma, 10%
- Master's, 7%
- Other Degrees, 5%
Captains by degree level
| Captain degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 67% |
| Associate | 11% |
| High School Diploma | 10% |
| Master's | 7% |
| Other Degrees | 5% |
Captain jobs you might like
Captain wage gap by degree level
According to the data, captains with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $59,611 annually. With a Associate degree, captains earn a median annual income of $50,254 compared to $47,958 for captains with an High School Diploma degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $47,958 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $59,611 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $50,254 |
Captain employment statistics
Most captains work for a private in the education industry.
Company size where captains work
Below, you can see the size of companies where captains work.
Captain jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 6% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 11% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 24% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 9% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 33% |
| > 10,000 employees | 17% |
Captain jobs by company type
Employees with the captain job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most captains prefer to work at private companies over education companies.
Captain jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 22% |
| Public | 17% |
| Private | 51% |
| Government | 10% |
Captain jobs by industry
The most common industries for captains are education, transportation and professional.
Captain industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 21% |
| Transportation | 16% |
| Professional | 10% |
| Hospitality | 8% |
| Government | 8% |
| Fortune 500 | 6% |
| Manufacturing | 4% |
| Retail | 4% |
| Media | 3% |
| Finance | 3% |
| Utilities | 2% |
| Construction | 2% |
| Start-up | 2% |
| Non Profits | 2% |
| Technology | 2% |
| Internet | 1% |
| Health Care | 1% |
| Real Estate | 1% |
| Energy | 1% |
Captain turnover and employment statistics
Captain unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for captains between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Captain unemployment rate by year
| Year | Captain unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 7.41% |
| 2011 | 10.93% |
| 2012 | 6.16% |
| 2013 | 6.36% |
| 2014 | 5.13% |
| 2015 | 4.28% |
| 2016 | 5.59% |
| 2017 | 5.70% |
| 2018 | 4.55% |
| 2019 | 3.70% |
| 2020 | 7.51% |
| 2021 | 4.71% |
Average captain tenure
The average captain stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 59,680 captains resumes in Zippia's database.
Captain tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 18% |
| 1-2 years | 37% |
| 3-4 years | 19% |
| 5-7 years | 12% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 9% |
Captain LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of captains that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Parking Lot Attendant | 3.71% | 49,080 |
| Assembler/Packer | 4.53% | 35,106 |
| Service Porter | 4.91% | 10,027 |
| Captain | 11.14% | - |
| Tankerman | 11.71% | 459 |
| Bus Attendant | 15.05% | 51,391 |
| Flight Attendant | 31.52% | 45,878 |
Similar captain jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Parking Lot Attendant | 3.71% | 49,080 |
| Assembler/Packer | 4.53% | 35,106 |
| Service Porter | 4.91% | 10,027 |
| Tankerman | 11.71% | 459 |
| Bus Attendant | 15.05% | 51,391 |
| Flight Attendant | 31.52% | 45,878 |
Foreign languages spoken by captains
The most common foreign language among captains is Spanish at 52.9%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 11.6% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 4.6%.
- Spanish, 52.9%
- French, 11.6%
- Chinese, 4.6%
- German, 4.2%
- Mandarin, 3.9%
- Other, 22.8%
Captain languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 52.9% |
| French | 11.6% |
| Chinese | 4.6% |
| German | 4.2% |
| Mandarin | 3.9% |
| Other | 22.8% |
