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Tug Boat Operator Salary in the United States

How much does a Tug Boat Operator make in the United States? The salary range for a Tug Boat Operator job is from $32,868 to $43,851 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out Tug Boat Operator job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at March 01, 2025
$37,659
Per Year
The average salary for a Tug Boat Operator is $37,659
per Year in the United States.
Individually reported data submitted by users of our website

HOW SHOULD YOU USE THIS DATA?

Employees: Use this as a guide for salary expectations, but be aware that responsibilities can change across companies for the same job title, so there may be differences between this data, other free site and our subscription products bought by employers.

Employers: This data could be used as reference point in your market pricing, but not the only source, due to differences across jobs locations, and sizes of companies.Consider additional sources like our Employer reported data.

Base Salary
$32,868
$37,659
Medium
$43,851

Highest Paying Cities for Tug Boat Operator in the United States

Tug Boat Operator salaries in the United States will pay differently by cities. Below following are the eight cities with the highest income for Tug Boat Operator jobs in the United States. The city with the highest salary is San Jose. Click on the Tug Boat Operator salary in cities you are interested in to view detailed job salary information.

States with Higher Salaries for Tug Boat Operator

The five states where Tug Boat Operator jobs get higher salaries in the United States are: District of Columbia, California, New Jersey, Alaska, and Massachusetts. Compared with the average salary of a Tug Boat Operator in the United States, the state of District of Columbia with the highest job income for this job. The second and third states are California and New Jersey respectively. The high or low salary paid to Tug Boat Operator by the US has a greater relationship with the demand for jobs and the cost of living.

How Much Do Similar Professions Get Paid in the United States?

There are some different titles for Tug Boat Operator jobs, and the job title of Tug Boat Operator will vary in different companies. The job title has a lot to do with the department and responsibilities, and the same job title will vary in different departments. The following list is the salary of jobs similar to Tug Boat Operator, start to view Tug Boat Operator-related jobs you are interested in.
Tug Boat Captain
Average salary
United States
$105,978
per Year
Tug Boat Engineer
Average salary
United States
$96,058
per Year
Tug Boat Deckhand
Average salary
United States
$38,168
per Year
Boat Operator
Average salary
United States
$47,652
per Year
Tug Captain
Average salary
United States
$147,408
per Year
Tug Driver
Average salary
United States
$39,406
per Year

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What Does a Tug Boat Operator Do?

The captain gave orders to tell the coastguard that they had had a "failure" and needed help from tug boats.

December 20, 2021

There are many paths to take in pursuing a career in tug boat operations, based on job experience and on-the-job training.

December 17, 2021

It is refreshing to work with an operator with such a progressive and forward-thinking attitude and this move towards drastically reducing tug emissions is a bold step.

December 02, 2021

Delivered in June, the newly built 90-ton bollard pull Rachael Allen—the fourth in a series of ASD-90 Z-drive tractor tugs built at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, in Freeland, Wash.—features Sea Machines Robotics’ SM300 autonomous-command and -control system.

November 25, 2021

By changing the position of the two joysticks on the transmitter signals are sent over two separate channels on a single radio frequency (assigned to the individual boat/operator).

November 22, 2021

Most Common Benefits for Tug Boat Operator

Social Security
Healthcare
401(k)
Pension
Disability
Time Off (days)

Frequently Asked Questions

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The highest Tug Boat Operator salary is $43,851, while the lowest is $32,868 in the United States.
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