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The differences between navigators and aviators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an aviator has an average salary of $97,217, which is higher than the $39,719 average annual salary of a navigator.
The top three skills for a navigator include patients, social work and customer service. The most important skills for an aviator are aircraft systems, flight safety, and flight training.
| Navigator | Aviator | |
| Yearly salary | $39,719 | $97,217 |
| Hourly rate | $19.10 | $46.74 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 4,866 | 3,482 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 86% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Navigators are responsible for a ship or aircraft's navigation requiring positional awareness. Their duties include mapping out for the journey, avoiding any hazards during travel, and advising the captain or commander on estimated time en route to the destination. Navigators are involved in maintaining the ship or aircraft's communication, nautical publications and charts, navigational equipment, and meteorological device. In the air force world, modern navigators are tasked with copilot duties and employing weapons systems.
An aviator, also known as a pilot, operates aircraft for commercial or private use. Although their duties vary upon their company or industry of employment, it usually entails performing regular inspections before and after every flight, coordinating with staff, maintaining an active communication line with air traffic controller, determining routes and schedules, analyzing flight plans, and monitoring the weather conditions. Moreover, as an aviator, it is essential to be proactive and professional in dealing with issues and concerns.
Navigators and aviators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Navigator | Aviator | |
| Average salary | $39,719 | $97,217 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $53,000 | Between $76,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | - |
| Best paying company | Adobe | - |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a navigator and an aviator in terms of educational background:
| Navigator | Aviator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 86% |
| Most common major | Business | Aerospace Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between navigators' and aviators' demographics:
| Navigator | Aviator | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3% | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 5.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 2.7% White, 81.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 9% |