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Staff sergeant vs captain

The differences between staff sergeants and captains can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a captain has an average salary of $52,161, which is higher than the $41,479 average annual salary of a staff sergeant.

The top three skills for a staff sergeant include combat, logistical support and emergency situations. The most important skills for a captain are customer service, safety standards, and food preparation.

Staff sergeant vs captain overview

Staff SergeantCaptain
Yearly salary$41,479$52,161
Hourly rate$19.94$25.08
Growth rate3%1%
Number of jobs68,5214,430
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4642
Years of experience-6

What does a staff sergeant do?

A staff sergeant is a noncommissioned officer under the supervision of a staff sergeant. Staff sergeants train junior officers who enter the unit for marine operation study. They interact with many soldiers and supervise property and equipment. Their other duties and responsibilities include the development, maintenance, and utility of the potential of soldiers. They can work as a medical laboratory specialist, avionics system repair, technical engineer, and water treatment specialist. The skills necessary for this job include strong communication skills, leadership, attention to detail, and physical fitness.

What does a captain do?

Captains oversee the entire operations of a sea vessel, usually ships. Their main responsibility is to ensure that the vessel safely travels from point A to point B. They are expert navigators who manage the course of the vessel. Captains should also be familiar with the different equipment aboard the ship and should be able to use them effectively. They should know how to properly maintain the equipment on board and should also know how to do repairs. Captains also manage their ship's crew and oversee the crews' overall performance. They also manage the finances and other operations-related activities during the course of their travel. Captains should have good communication skills, quick decision-making skills, and expert navigation skills.

Staff sergeant vs captain salary

Staff sergeants and captains have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff SergeantCaptain
Average salary$41,479$52,161
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $54,000Between $31,000 And $85,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Google
Best paying industry-Transportation

Differences between staff sergeant and captain education

There are a few differences between a staff sergeant and a captain in terms of educational background:

Staff SergeantCaptain
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 48%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityStanford University

Staff sergeant vs captain demographics

Here are the differences between staff sergeants' and captains' demographics:

Staff SergeantCaptain
Average age4642
Gender ratioMale, 86.1% Female, 13.9%Male, 65.4% Female, 34.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 1.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 3.1% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between staff sergeant and captain duties and responsibilities

Staff sergeant example responsibilities.

  • Manage training for CBRN response operations including detection and decontamination equipment.
  • Facilitate meetings and submit weekly reports, briefings and PowerPoint slides.
  • Use varies Microsoft programs to create reports, memorandums, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and email.
  • Study activities relating to narcotics, money laundering, gangs, terrorism, or other national security threats.
  • Maintain and operate petroleum logistics operations.
  • Supervise and discipline airmen under direct supervision.
  • Show more

Captain example responsibilities.

  • Delegate responsibilities to crew members, verify inventory, manage payroll, steer the ship and operate dredge.
  • Lead the team as defensive captain to win the national championship of the most elite football level in Mexico.
  • Lead a platoon that earn numerous awards for jamming opposition force artillery nets and conducting counterattacks on opposition electronic warfare platoons.
  • Participate in intramural volleyball, basketball and indoor and outdoor soccer.
  • Ensure the synchronized delivery of additional manpower to combat operations by utilizing all available assets and effective logistics management.
  • Complete CPR and a training.
  • Show more

Staff sergeant vs captain skills

Common staff sergeant skills
  • Combat, 12%
  • Logistical Support, 8%
  • Emergency Situations, 7%
  • Platoon, 6%
  • NCO, 5%
  • Law Enforcement, 3%
Common captain skills
  • Customer Service, 21%
  • Safety Standards, 11%
  • Food Preparation, 11%
  • POS, 5%
  • Role Model, 5%
  • Logistics, 4%

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