Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $109K, rent takes 30.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,044/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $2,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels typically earn — is $61K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,647/month.

Local pay is 17% above the national median — $109K here vs. $92K nationally.

Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area pays $109K median vs. the U.S. average of $92K — that’s +17%.

The median is $108,550 a year, that works out to about $52 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $60,790, and experienced captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels can clear $266,870. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,701/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,044/month, which eats 30.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels salary is worth about $108,550 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.