Sailor vs merchant marine

The differences between sailors and merchant marines can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a merchant marine has an average salary of $59,752, which is higher than the $47,746 average annual salary of a sailor.

The top three skills for a sailor include sailors, flight deck and logistics. The most important skills for a merchant marine are safety procedures, vessel security, and diesel engines.

Sailor vs merchant marine overview

	Sailor	Merchant Marine
Yearly salary	$47,746	$59,752
Hourly rate	$22.95	$28.73
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	10	11,319
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	33	33
Years of experience	-	-

Sailor vs merchant marine salary

Sailors and merchant marines have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sailor	Merchant Marine
Average salary	$47,746	$59,752
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $99,000	Between $23,000 And $151,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between sailor and merchant marine education

There are a few differences between a sailor and a merchant marine in terms of educational background:

	Sailor	Merchant Marine
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Sailor vs merchant marine demographics

Here are the differences between sailors' and merchant marines' demographics:

	Sailor	Merchant Marine
Average age	33	33
Gender ratio	Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9%	Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.0% Unknown, 9.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%	Black or African American, 16.0% Unknown, 9.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between sailor and merchant marine duties and responsibilities

Sailor example responsibilities.

Implement logistics support and material plan to manage advance shipment of hazardous goods to area of responsibility.
Supervise and train junior sailors at the helm and lee helm (controlling the steering and speed of the ship).
Provide valuable expertise experience and leadership.
Provide training for personnel in basic firefighting procedures.
Train junior sailors on maintenance procedures for defective fire-fighting equipment.
Supervise operation and maintenance of shipboard firefighting supplies and specialize equipment.

Merchant marine example responsibilities.

Manage the logistics and operation of 23 work centers locate at five separate sites in a dynamic operational environment.
Operate and maintain firefighting safety equipment and maintain ships operational condition.
Ensure that the facilities capabilities are complimentary to the task request by FEMA logistics.
Develop and present briefings to management and senior leadership.
Organize multiple emergency airlifts of repair parts and ammunition under stressful combat conditions.
Establish valuable links with receiving combat units and ensure accurate delivery of critical supplies.

Sailor vs merchant marine skills

Common sailor skills

Sailors, 25%
Flight Deck, 15%
Logistics, 9%
Firefighting, 9%
CPR, 7%
USS, 6%

Common merchant marine skills

Safety Procedures, 29%
Vessel Security, 17%
Diesel Engines, 14%
Cargo Operations, 10%
Deck Hand, 9%
USCG, 5%