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Boat deckhand salary

Average boat deckhand salary

$35,090

$16.87 hourly rate

Entry-level boat deckhand salary
$21,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Boat Deckhand Salaries

The salary for a Boat Deckhand typically starts at around $35,090 annually. However, this figure can vary significantly based on location, experience, and the specific industry. For instance, deckhands working in fishing or tourism may see different salary ranges compared to those in transportation or research.

Salary by State

In states with a strong maritime industry, such as Florida and California, salaries tend to be higher than the national average. Understanding regional salary differences is crucial for job seekers looking to optimize their earnings.

Opportunities for Advancement

Experience as a boat deckhand can lead to higher-paying positions, such as First Mate or Captain. Gaining additional certifications can further enhance earning potential. Explore current job listings to find opportunities that align with your career goals.

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Where can a Boat Deckhand earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
60k
40k
20k
410
Columbus, OH$35,116
Page, AZ$30,410
Compare salary by company
Vs
81k
61k
41k
21k
988
David Evans and Associates$69,536
Aramark$30,988

Boat deckhand salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a boat deckhand typically falls between $28,952 and $45,037.
zippia
$35,090yearly
comparably[1]
$28,952yearly
ZipRecruiter[2]
$45,037yearly

Average boat deckhand salary by state

The highest-paying states for boat deckhands are New Jersey, New York, and Delaware. The lowest average boat deckhand salary states are Oklahoma, Colorado, and Wyoming.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for boat deckhands

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York$58,010$27.89
2New Jersey$58,600$28.17
3Connecticut$48,136$23.14
4Illinois$44,751$21.51
5New Hampshire$41,887$20.14
6Delaware$49,645$23.87
7Alaska$38,410$18.47
8Iowa$42,604$20.48
9Nevada$38,245$18.39
10Massachusetts$44,016$21.16
11Rhode Island$46,131$22.18
12Michigan$39,511$19.00
13Maryland$48,566$23.35
14Pennsylvania$42,616$20.49
15Vermont$39,801$19.14
16District of Columbia$48,122$23.14
17Kansas$39,528$19.00
18Ohio$38,712$18.61
19Louisiana$34,936$16.80
20West Virginia$39,161$18.83
21Virginia$40,097$19.28
22Wisconsin$34,721$16.69
23North Dakota$37,308$17.94
24Indiana$32,732$15.74
25Texas$34,289$16.49
26Kentucky$33,194$15.96
27Arizona$33,321$16.02
28Minnesota$34,432$16.55
29South Dakota$34,387$16.53
30Missouri$31,605$15.19
31California$38,241$18.39
32Maine$33,825$16.26
33New Mexico$34,271$16.48
34South Carolina$32,529$15.64
35Tennessee$31,417$15.10
36Mississippi$31,519$15.15
37Montana$33,784$16.24
38Arkansas$32,419$15.59
39Nebraska$32,053$15.41
40Utah$30,933$14.87
41Hawaii$39,410$18.95
42North Carolina$33,354$16.04
43Washington$31,366$15.08
44Alabama$29,552$14.21
45Florida$29,428$14.15
46Georgia$31,331$15.06
47Oregon$30,984$14.90
48Oklahoma$30,760$14.79
49Idaho$29,731$14.29
50Colorado$30,546$14.69
51Wyoming$29,789$14.32

Highest paying cities for boat deckhands

The highest-paying cities for boat deckhands are Baton Rouge, LA, Houma, LA, and Bourg, LA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Baton Rouge, LA$35,116$16.88
2Houma, LA$35,035$16.84
3Bourg, LA$35,016$16.83
4Chauvin, LA$35,000$16.83
5Montegut, LA$34,999$16.83
6Fulton, TX$34,431$16.55
7Brownsville, TX$34,419$16.55
8Port Isabel, TX$34,386$16.53
9Seadrift, TX$34,383$16.53
10Port Lavaca, TX$34,372$16.52
11Port OConnor, TX$34,335$16.51
12Palacios, TX$34,316$16.50
13San Leon, TX$34,180$16.43
14Texas City, TX$34,166$16.43
15Beaumont, TX$34,123$16.41
16Vancouver, WA$30,954$14.88
17Page, AZ$30,410$14.62

Boat deckhand salary details

A boat deckhand's salary ranges from $21,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $58,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average boat deckhand salary graph
Average boat deckhand salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a boat deckhand's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$58,000$4,833$28
75th Percentile$45,000$3,750$22
Average$35,090$2,924$17
25th Percentile$26,000$2,167$13
10th Percentile$21,000$1,750$10

Highest paying boat deckhand jobs

The highest paying types of boat deckhands are waterman, deckhand, and commercial crabber.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Deckhand$56,163$4,680$27.00500

Which companies pay boat deckhands the most?

Boat deckhand salaries at David Evans and Associates and W&W; are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average boat deckhand salary at companies like Kirby and Aramark are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1David Evans and Associates$69,536$33.43
2W&W$37,672$18.11
3Kirby$35,944$17.28
4Aramark$30,988$14.90

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$39,000$37,800$36,600$35,400$34,200$33,000
MaleFemale

Boat Deckhand salary by industry

The average boat deckhand salary varies across industries:

  • The average boat deckhand salary in the professional industry is $36,433, the highest of any industry.
  • The average boat deckhand salary in the finance industry is $33,616.
  • Boat deckhands in the retail industry earn an average salary of $28,912, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for boat deckhands

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Professional$36,433$17.52
2Transportation$33,616$16.16
3Construction$33,511$16.11
4Retail$28,912$13.90

High paying boat deckhand jobs

Boat deckhand salary trends

The average boat deckhand salary has risen by $7,579 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average boat deckhand earned $27,511 annually, but today, they earn $35,090 a year. That works out to a 27% change in pay for boat deckhands over the last decade.

Compare boat deckhand salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average boat deckhand salary over time

Compare boat deckhand salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Boat deckhand salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$35,100$16.87+8.4%
2024$32,100$15.45+6.6%
2023$30,000$14.43+3.9%
2022$28,800$13.87+4.2%
2021$27,600$13.28-0.8%

Recently added boat deckhand salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Blessed Shepherd Inc.Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Boat Deckhand/HeaderBrownsville, TX02/28/2025$35,291
Kirby CorpFleet Boat DeckhandChannelview, TX02/13/2025$54,001
Tatum Trawlers Inc.Shrimp Boat Deckhand/HeaderBrownsville, TX01/07/2025$35,291
Twin City Shrimp Co Inc.Shrimp Boat Deckhand/HeaderPort Isabel, TX01/07/2025$35,291
Miss Tammy Sue, Inc.Shrimp Boat Deckhand/HeaderPort Isabel, TX01/07/2025$35,291
Blessed Shepherd Inc.Shrimp Boat Deckhand/HeaderBrownsville, TX01/07/2025$35,291
Chapa Shrimp TrawlersShrimp Boat Deckhand/HeaderBrownsville, TX01/07/2025$35,291
Kirby CorpFleet Boat DeckhandChannelview, TX09/12/2024$50,871
Kirby CorpFleet Boat DeckhandChannelview, TX09/12/2024$50,871
Vero's Oysters LLCOyster Boat DeckhandSeadrift, TX07/05/2024$30,345

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