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Job outlook for captains in the United States
Captain job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected captain job growth rate is 1% from 2018-2028.
About 500 new jobs for captains are projected over the next decade.
Captain salaries have increased 6% for captains in the last 5 years.
There are over 11,244 captains currently employed in the United States.
There are 4,430 active captain job openings in the US.
The average captain salary is $52,161.
Are captain jobs in demand?
No, captain jobs are not in demand. Captain demand is projected to decline 1% from 2018 to 2028.
Captain job and salary trends over time
Compare the number of captain jobs and the average captain salary over time.
Captain jobs over time
Captain job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11,244 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 9,263 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 11,204 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 12,218 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 12,013 | 0.00% |
Average captain salary over time
Captain salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $52,161 | $25.08 | +6.6% |
| 2024 | $48,922 | $23.52 | +4.6% |
| 2023 | $46,785 | $22.49 | --2.5% |
| 2022 | $47,962 | $23.06 | --2.4% |
| 2021 | $49,152 | $23.63 | --5.3% |
Captain jobs by state
The map below shows you the number of captain job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where captains earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average salary: Job openings:
Most common states for captains
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 16 | 1% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 4 | 1% |
| 3 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 75 | 0% |
| 4 | California | 39,536,653 | 71 | 0% |
| 5 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 40 | 0% |
| 6 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 35 | 0% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 27 | 0% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 27 | 0% |
| 9 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 26 | 0% |
| 10 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 24 | 0% |
| 11 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 22 | 0% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 22 | 0% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 20 | 0% |
| 14 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 17 | 0% |
| 15 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 16 | 0% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 13 | 0% |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 13 | 0% |
| 18 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 8 | 0% |
| 19 | Delaware | 961,939 | 1 | 0% |
| 20 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 0 | 0% |
Most common cities for captains
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juneau | 4 | 12% | $51,256 |
| 2 | Kalamazoo | 4 | 5% | $51,977 |
| 3 | Mountain View | 4 | 5% | $59,419 |
| 4 | West Palm Beach | 4 | 4% | $51,257 |
| 5 | Springfield | 3 | 3% | $49,811 |
| 6 | Alpharetta | 2 | 3% | $50,518 |
| 7 | Hartford | 3 | 2% | $53,104 |
| 8 | Washington | 6 | 1% | $56,616 |
| 9 | Denver | 5 | 1% | $47,623 |
| 10 | Atlanta | 4 | 1% | $50,323 |
| 11 | Boston | 4 | 1% | $49,415 |
| 12 | Des Moines | 3 | 1% | $48,261 |
| 13 | Minneapolis | 3 | 1% | $49,269 |
| 14 | Orlando | 3 | 1% | $50,260 |
| 15 | Los Angeles | 6 | 0% | $57,390 |
| 16 | New York | 5 | 0% | $56,566 |
| 17 | Phoenix | 5 | 0% | $53,409 |
| 18 | Indianapolis | 3 | 0% | $51,223 |