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Seaman vs petty officer

The differences between seamen and petty officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a seaman has an average salary of $55,413, which is higher than the $39,336 average annual salary of a petty officer.

The top three skills for a seaman include safety equipment, navigational aids and coast guard. The most important skills for a petty officer are preventative maintenance, law enforcement, and logistics.

Seaman vs petty officer overview

SeamanPetty Officer
Yearly salary$55,413$39,336
Hourly rate$26.64$18.91
Growth rate1%3%
Number of jobs17469,776
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age3343
Years of experience--

Seaman vs petty officer salary

Seamen and petty officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

SeamanPetty Officer
Average salary$55,413$39,336
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $136,000Between $24,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between seaman and petty officer education

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

SeamanPetty Officer
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 41%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Seaman vs petty officer demographics

Here are the differences between seamen' and petty officers' demographics:

SeamanPetty Officer
Average age3343
Gender ratioMale, 71.9% Female, 28.1%Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 5.6% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%
LGBT Percentage3%6%

Differences between seaman and petty officer duties and responsibilities

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
  • Show more

Petty officer example responsibilities.

  • Lead three CPO's and 50 maintenance personnel in target maintenance planning on two C-2A aircraft.
  • Manage CPR and first aid program that involve directing quarterly CPR and first aid classes while tracking employee s certifications.
  • Manage the day to day operations of USS Olympia's EKMS account to include support and compliance for EKMS Visits/inspection.
  • Manage 13 ready-service-lockers containing all shipboard ordinances while personally keeping duty gunner's mate and ammunition handling qualify.
  • Supervise sailors in responsible tasks relate to managing inventory, facilitating laundry operations, and maintaining secure watch detail.
  • Assist LPO and ALPO as needed.
  • Show more

Seaman vs petty officer skills

Common seaman skills
  • Safety Equipment, 23%
  • Navigational Aids, 10%
  • Coast Guard, 9%
  • Law Enforcement, 9%
  • CPR, 6%
  • Firefighting, 4%
Common petty officer skills
  • Preventative Maintenance, 9%
  • Law Enforcement, 6%
  • Logistics, 6%
  • Sailors, 5%
  • Coast Guard, 5%
  • Combat, 4%

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