Purser vs ship steward

The differences between pursers and ship stewards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a purser has an average salary of $39,585, which is higher than the $31,683 average annual salary of a ship steward.

The top three skills for a purser include safety procedures, customer service and front desk. The most important skills for a ship steward are cleanliness, kitchen equipment, and culinary.

Purser vs ship steward overview

	Purser	Ship Steward
Yearly salary	$39,585	$31,683
Hourly rate	$19.03	$15.23
Growth rate	21%	2%
Number of jobs	108	42,173
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	49	55
Years of experience	-	-

Purser vs ship steward salary

Pursers and ship stewards have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purser	Ship Steward
Average salary	$39,585	$31,683
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $72,000	Between $16,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	-	Juneau, AK
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Intuitive Surgical
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between purser and ship steward education

There are a few differences between a purser and a ship steward in terms of educational background:

	Purser	Ship Steward
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Hospitality Management	Business
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Crookston	-

Purser vs ship steward demographics

Here are the differences between pursers' and ship stewards' demographics:

	Purser	Ship Steward
Average age	49	55
Gender ratio	Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8%	Male, 68.8% Female, 31.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 9.8% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 29.4% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 4.7% White, 44.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	29%	13%

Differences between purser and ship steward duties and responsibilities

Purser example responsibilities.

Confer with shipboard and shore side management to ensure passenger berthing and over all enjoyment.
Devise and implement specific solutions for sea cloud boutique shop, inventories order, supplies and maintain the crew clothing locker.
Assist in the implementation of safety and quality management program.
Assist physically challenge passengers as appropriate; provide life-saving assistance to ill or incapacitate passengers, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation if require.

Ship steward example responsibilities.

Operate a POS system and manage cash and credit card sales.
Collaborate with regional data stewards to identify databases, tables and columns, data quality issues and gaps.
Provide dishware for corporate events.
Set buffets and handle inventory.
Receive deliveries, store perishables properly, and rotate stock.
Rotate perishables, dry goods to ensure the highest quality of food.

Purser vs ship steward skills

Common purser skills

Safety Procedures, 32%
Customer Service, 27%
Front Desk, 15%
Crew Payroll, 8%
Guest Service, 6%
Boutique, 3%

Common ship steward skills

Cleanliness, 16%
Kitchen Equipment, 10%
Culinary, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Sanitation Standards, 5%
Stewards, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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