Deckhand vs seaman

The differences between deckhands and seamen can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a deckhand has an average salary of $56,163, which is higher than the $55,413 average annual salary of a seaman.

The top three skills for a deckhand include TWIC, vessel maintenance and mooring lines. The most important skills for a seaman are safety equipment, navigational aids, and coast guard.

Deckhand vs seaman overview

	Deckhand	Seaman
Yearly salary	$56,163	$55,413
Hourly rate	$27.00	$26.64
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	500	174
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 41%
Average age	33	33
Years of experience	-	-

Deckhand vs seaman salary

Deckhands and seamen have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Deckhand	Seaman
Average salary	$56,163	$55,413
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $145,000	Between $22,000 And $136,000
Highest paying City	Bayonne, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Enterprise Products Partners	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between deckhand and seaman education

There are a few differences between a deckhand and a seaman in terms of educational background:

	Deckhand	Seaman
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Deckhand vs seaman demographics

Here are the differences between deckhands' and seamen' demographics:

	Deckhand	Seaman
Average age	33	33
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 71.9% Female, 28.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.9% Unknown, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 4.8% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 16.0% Unknown, 9.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 4.9% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between deckhand and seaman duties and responsibilities

Deckhand example responsibilities.

Conduct daily JSA's, occasionally lead weekly fire and boat drills.
Spearhead cross-functional initiative to achieve successful whole shipments of wild Alaskan salmofrozen and gut.
Qualify shipboard firefighting and water survival, certify CPR human resources.
Maintain working order of multiple boats including water taxis, ferries, yachts, and passenger vessels.
Comply with all environmental and CFR regulations.
Sign DOI and go over pretransfer procedures.

Seaman example responsibilities.

Conduct daily JSA's, occasionally lead weekly fire and boat drills.
Help in the safe operation of deploying and recovering small boats in the events of coast guard search and seizures.
Maintain first aid and CPR certifications.
Navigate by using several different types of compasses.
Perform supply loading duties from dock using booms and cranes.
Work as a seaman in the USCG preparing for a USCG rating/career

Deckhand vs seaman skills

Common deckhand skills

TWIC, 9%
Vessel Maintenance, 9%
Mooring Lines, 8%
Ladders, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
USCG, 6%

Common seaman skills

Safety Equipment, 23%
Navigational Aids, 10%
Coast Guard, 9%
Law Enforcement, 9%
CPR, 6%
Firefighting, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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