How much does a Cruise Ship Captain make in Appleton City, MO?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Cruise Ship Captain in Appleton City, MO is $85,725 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $41.
However, a Cruise Ship Captain's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $94,412
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $82,023 to $90,272
Key Factors That Influence Cruise Ship Captain Salaries
A Cruise Ship Captain's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Cruise Ship Captain Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Cruise Ship Captain's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $117,269
San Francisco: $115,985
Oakland: $113,541
San Jose, CA$117,269
San Francisco, CA$115,985
Oakland, CA$113,541
New York, NY$107,050
Paramus, NJ$105,748
Queens Village, NY$105,744
Passaic, NJ$105,656
Bergenfield, NJ$105,647
Stamford, CT$105,443
Huntington, NY$105,404
Newark, NJ$104,717
Bridgeport, CT$104,521
Vallejo, CA$104,336
New Brunswick, NJ$104,299
Petaluma, CA$104,243
Middlesex, NJ$104,067
Somerset, NJ$104,001
Santa Cruz, CA$103,881
Boston, MA$103,313
Monterey, CA$102,987
Seattle, WA$102,774
Santa Rosa, CA$102,756
Los Angeles, CA$102,728
Juneau, AK$102,486
Washington, DC$102,384
Orange, CA$102,053
Santa Ana, CA$101,807
Long Beach, CA$101,714
Anaheim, CA$101,696
Anchorage, AK$101,649
Santa Maria, CA$101,370
Everett, WA$101,352
Danbury, CT$101,024
Bremerton, WA$100,896
Tacoma, WA$100,561
New Suffolk, NY$100,560
Sacramento, CA$100,534
Santa Barbara, CA$100,431
Trenton, NJ$100,329
San Diego, CA$100,329
Brockton, MA$100,227
Fairbanks, AK$99,999
Lompoc, CA$99,762
Lowell, MA$99,687
Ventura, CA$99,669
Nashua, NH$99,650
Stockton, CA$99,641
Modesto, CA$98,962
Poughkeepsie, NY$98,758
Olympia, WA$98,581
Kennewick, WA$98,581
New Haven, CT$98,544
Lawrence, MA$98,209
Hartford, CT$98,116
Riverside, CA$98,098
New Bedford, MA$98,005
Richland, WA$98,005
Bakersfield, CA$97,874
San Bernardino, CA$97,837
New Britain, CT$97,828
Atlantic City, NJ$97,828
New London, CT$97,791
Norwich, CT$97,763
Portsmouth, NH$97,744
Boulder, CO$97,547
Portland, OR$97,419
Worcester, MA$97,410
Minneapolis, MN$97,121
Philadelphia, PA$96,991
Honolulu, HI$96,684
Saint Paul, MN$96,640
Vineland, NJ$96,619
Providence, RI$96,350
Chicago, IL$96,080
Bellingham, WA$95,968
Springfield, MA$95,894
Baltimore, MD$95,866
Chico, CA$95,634
Pittsfield, MA$95,383
Manchester, NH$95,206
Spokane, WA$94,797
Denver, CO$94,788
Albany, NY$94,351
Troy, NY$94,314
Nassau, NY$94,214
Schenectady, NY$94,118
Wilmington, DE$94,044
Burlington, VT$93,914
Salem, OR$93,877
Portland, ME$93,588
Yakima, WA$93,495
Rochester, MN$93,207
Reno, NV$93,161
Fresno, CA$93,161
Milwaukee, WI$93,077
Detroit, MI$92,984
Ann Arbor, MI$92,968
Allentown, PA$92,956
Colorado Springs, CO$92,798
Syracuse, NY$92,752
Carson City, NV$92,752
Houston, TX$92,621
Eugene, OR$92,575
Gary, IN$92,463
Springfield, OR$92,389
Bismarck, ND$92,370
Galveston, TX$92,305
Medford, OR$92,166
Fort Collins, CO$92,129
Concord, NH$92,082
Austin, TX$92,054
Mesa, AZ$91,859
Reading, PA$91,850
Phoenix, AZ$91,840
Dallas, TX$91,813
Saint Cloud, MN$91,723
Madison, WI$91,599
Utica, NY$91,348
Rochester, NY$91,199
Des Moines, IA$91,190
Raleigh, NC$91,180
Atlanta, GA$91,041
Battle Creek, MI$91,013
Salt Lake City, UT$90,985
Lancaster, PA$90,846
Harrisburg, PA$90,715
Kansas City, MO$90,622
Champaign, IL$90,604
Kansas City, KS$90,604
Fort Worth, TX$90,595
Columbus, OH$90,579
Boca Raton, FL$90,557
Pittsburgh, PA$90,520
Richmond, VA$90,483
Indianapolis, IN$90,464
Cleveland, OH$90,455
Las Vegas, NV$90,344
Cincinnati, OH$90,344
Petersburg, VA$90,204
Huntsville, AL$90,065
Lansing, MI$90,002
Lebanon, PA$89,990
Pueblo, CO$89,981
Appleton, WI$89,953
Buffalo, NY$89,916
Dayton, OH$89,888
Racine, WI$89,869
Charlotte, NC$89,860
Saint Louis, MO$89,832
York, PA$89,776
Elkhart, IN$89,776
Gastonia, NC$89,759
Billings, MT$89,736
Beaumont, TX$89,711
Lorain, OH$89,693
Benton Harbor, MI$89,674
Toledo, OH$89,656
Binghamton, NY$89,609
Rock Hill, SC$89,600
Rockford, IL$89,553
Springfield, IL$89,516
Elyria, OH$89,507
Fargo, ND$89,507
Flagstaff, AZ$89,442
Fort Lauderdale, FL$89,386
Duluth, MN$89,330
Miami, FL$89,330
Cheyenne, WY$89,265
Grand Forks, ND$89,265
Bangor, ME$89,060
Cedar Rapids, IA$88,958
Durham, NC$88,919
Louisville, KY$88,912
Grand Rapids, MI$88,893
Hialeah, FL$88,884
Casper, WY$88,754
Scranton, PA$88,642
New Orleans, LA$88,614
Virginia Beach, VA$88,605
Akron, OH$88,558
Peoria, IL$88,438
Sarasota, FL$88,419
Nashville, TN$88,354
Omaha, NE$88,354
Green Bay, WI$88,354
Baton Rouge, LA$88,307
Charleston, SC$88,289
Jamestown, NY$88,242
Davenport, IA$88,242
Tucson, AZ$88,196
Saint Petersburg, FL$88,140
Tampa, FL$88,121
Evansville, IN$88,066
Port Arthur, TX$88,066
Bradenton, FL$88,028
Santa Fe, NM$87,861
Orlando, FL$87,694
Clearwater, FL$87,666
Canton, OH$87,471
La Crosse, WI$87,471
Albuquerque, NM$87,415
Newport News, VA$87,406
High Point, NC$87,378
Ogden, UT$87,340
Corpus Christi, TX$87,266
Norfolk, VA$87,210
Laramie, WY$87,210
Rock Island, IL$87,154
Saginaw, MI$87,136
Jacksonville, FL$87,127
Salisbury, NC$87,108
Boise, ID$87,089
Moline, IL$87,043
Fort Myers, FL$87,015
Memphis, TN$86,996
Tulsa, OK$86,950
Waterloo, IA$86,894
Spartanburg, SC$86,801
Lincoln, NE$86,755
Fort Wayne, IN$86,736
Provo, UT$86,727
Cedar Falls, IA$86,615
San Antonio, TX$86,578
Greensboro, NC$86,541
South Bend, IN$86,532
Savannah, GA$86,429
Muskegon, MI$86,392
Birmingham, AL$86,383
Winston Salem, NC$86,337
Lake Charles, LA$86,113
Anderson, IN$86,095
Lexington, KY$86,067
Augusta, GA$86,039
Greenville, SC$86,039
Lima, OH$85,964
Wichita, KS$85,955
Tuscaloosa, AL$85,955
Columbia, SC$85,871
Springfield, OH$85,853
Asheville, NC$85,704
Bloomington, IN$85,639
Knoxville, TN$85,304
Shreveport, LA$85,295
Wilmington, NC$85,174
Roanoke, VA$85,174
Topeka, KS$85,007
Frankfort, KY$84,997
Oklahoma City, OK$84,932
Chillicothe, OH$84,895
Longview, TX$84,886
Melbourne, FL$84,877
Sioux Falls, SD$84,728
Mobile, AL$84,719
Terre Haute, IN$84,681
Altoona, PA$84,626
Amarillo, TX$84,560
Killeen, TX$84,533
Fayetteville, AR$84,458
Chattanooga, TN$84,430
Sioux City, IA$84,347
Idaho Falls, ID$84,328
Lynchburg, VA$84,254
Gainesville, FL$84,133
Portsmouth, OH$84,086
Little Rock, AR$84,068
Lafayette, LA$84,031
Youngstown, OH$84,031
Daytona Beach, FL$83,975
Clarksville, TN$83,965
Pensacola, FL$83,956
Temple, TX$83,950
Hopkinsville, KY$83,677
Erie, PA$83,659
Florence, SC$83,621
Charleston, WV$83,473
Great Falls, MT$83,426
Macon, GA$83,296
Tallahassee, FL$83,287
Fayetteville, NC$83,268
Waco, TX$83,250
Helena, MT$83,184
Pine Bluff, AR$83,149
Vincennes, IN$83,036
Lubbock, TX$82,999
Alamogordo, NM$82,943
Twin Falls, ID$82,859
Rapid City, SD$82,831
Jackson, MS$82,664
Huntington, WV$82,657
Greenville, MS$82,655
Parkersburg, WV$82,560
Montgomery, AL$82,543
Wichita Falls, TX$82,450
Springfield, MO$82,450
Biloxi, MS$82,403
Monroe, LA$82,311
Johnstown, PA$82,245
Sumter, SC$82,208
Columbus, GA$82,199
Pascagoula, MS$82,022
Abilene, TX$82,022
Kingsport, TN$81,781
Albany, GA$81,781
Gulfport, MS$81,753
Alexandria, LA$81,446
Fort Smith, AR$81,213
El Paso, TX$80,962
Las Cruces, NM$80,544
Harlingen, TX$80,308
Pocatello, ID$80,293
Florence, AL$80,172
Brownsville, TX$80,153
Mcallen, TX$79,958
Dothan, AL$79,828
Columbus, MS$79,276
Altus, OK$78,843
Lawton, OK$78,666
Pierre, SD$78,331
What Skills Can Increase a Cruise Ship Captain's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 10.06% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Technical Services (Mentioned in 2.37% Job Postings): Technical services are services that an IT organization provides to support business services or IT operations. Employee provisioning, backup and recovery, storage, and self-service help desk are examples of technical services
Computer Usage (Mentioned in 1.18% Job Postings): The REGISTER of English associated with computer technology and electronic communication, for both professional and other purposes, such as the creation, use, and maintenance of equipment recreation, such as video games and electronic bulletin boards
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Cruise Ship Captain's salary.
Team Management: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Operations Management: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Cruise Ship Captain Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Cruise Ship Captain roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 33% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Financial Services and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 18% above the average.
In contrast, Cruise Ship Captain positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Construction typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Cruise Ship Captain as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Cruise Ship Captain
Understanding how a Cruise Ship Captain's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Cruise Ship Captain job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources.
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