Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels Salary
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Salinas, CA make a median of $60,070 a year, or about $28.88 an hour. The range runs from $49K at the entry level to $125K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.04), so that salary is closer to $55,090 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,684/month, about 68.4% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $60K get you in Salinas?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Salinas’s Regional Price Parity (109.04). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
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What this looks like in Salinas
Pay for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels in Salinas runs about 35% below the U.S. median of $92K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,684/month, which is 66.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 9% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.04), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for captains, mates, and pilots of water vesselss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels in metros near Salinas, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $113K | $100K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $125K | $108K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $76K | $68K |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $78K | $73K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Salinas, CA
Entry-level captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels (10th percentile) start around $49K. Mid-career wages sit at $60K. Top earners bring in $125K or more, a $75K spread from bottom to top.
Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | $139K | +50% | 450 |
| Tennessee | $133K | +44% | 940 |
| Louisiana | $117K | +27% | 6,830 |
| Texas | $111K | +20% | 3,400 |
| California | $110K | +19% | 2,420 |
| New York | $105K | +13% | 1,930 |
| Mississippi | $104K | +13% | 570 |
| Washington | $104K | +12% | 1,560 |
| Iowa | $98K | +6% | 80 |
| Oregon | $97K | +5% | 350 |
| Indiana | $92K | -0% | 1,010 |
| New Jersey | $90K | -2% | 510 |
| Alaska | $88K | -5% | 710 |
| Virginia | $88K | -5% | 2,270 |
| West Virginia | $85K | -8% | 110 |
| Missouri | $84K | -10% | 420 |
| Minnesota | $81K | -12% | 110 |
| Oklahoma | $79K | -14% | 30 |
| Massachusetts | $78K | -16% | 650 |
| Georgia | $77K | -17% | 220 |
| Rhode Island | $77K | -17% | 250 |
| Florida | $76K | -18% | 5,040 |
| New Hampshire | $76K | -18% | 70 |
| Connecticut | $76K | -18% | 380 |
| Wisconsin | $74K | -20% | 170 |
| Delaware | $73K | -21% | 50 |
| Hawaii | $73K | -21% | 700 |
| Maine | $73K | -21% | 360 |
| Illinois | $70K | -25% | 900 |
| North Carolina | $69K | -25% | 490 |
| Alabama | $69K | -25% | 350 |
| Vermont | $64K | -31% | 40 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | -34% | 580 |
| Arizona | $59K | -37% | 40 |
| South Carolina | $58K | -38% | 520 |
| Ohio | $56K | -39% | 420 |
| Michigan | $54K | -42% | 640 |
| Utah | $50K | -46% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 38 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel afford a 2BR apartment alone in Salinas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $60K, rent takes 66.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,684/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels in Salinas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels typically earn — is $49K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,968/month. At HUD’s $2,684/month FMR, rent would take 90% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is captains, mates, and pilots of water vessel a high-paying job in Salinas?
Local pay runs 35% below the national median — $60K here vs. $92K nationally.
How does Salinas compare to the national average for captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels?
Salinas pays $60K median vs. the U.S. average of $92K — that’s -35%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.04), the purchasing-power equivalent is $55K — below the national median.
How much do captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels make in Salinas, CA?
The median is $60,070 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $49,460, and experienced captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels can clear $124,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $60K enough to live in Salinas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,033/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,684/month, which eats 66.6% 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.
How far does a captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels salary go in Salinas?
Salinas has a Regional Price Parity of 109.04 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels salary is worth about $55,090 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels get paid the most?
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.