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Tugboat Captain Salary in the United States

How much does a Tugboat Captain make in the United States? The salary range for a Tugboat Captain job is from $83,906 to $114,090 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out Tugboat Captain job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at March 01, 2025
$98,809
Per Year
The average salary for a Tugboat Captain is $98,809
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
$83,906
$98,809
Medium
$114,090

Highest Paying Cities for Tugboat Captain in the United States

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

States with Higher Salaries for Tugboat Captain

The five states where Tugboat Captain 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 Tugboat Captain 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 Tugboat Captain 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 Tugboat Captain jobs, and the job title of Tugboat Captain 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 Tugboat Captain, start to view Tugboat Captain-related jobs you are interested in.
Tugboat Operator
Average salary
United States
$47,652
per Year
Tugboat Deckhand
Average salary
United States
$47,213
per Year
Tugboat Mate
Average salary
United States
$101,380
per Year
Captain
Average salary
United States
$169,400
per Year
Banquet Captain
Average salary
United States
$31,200
per Year
Correctional Captain
Average salary
United States
$51,719
per Year

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What Does a Tugboat Captain Do?

Tugboat captains steer these powerful vessels, which push and tow ships and barges in river and port areas and even on the open seas.

December 18, 2021

Becoming a master of towing vessels — also known as a tugboat captain or tugboat pilot — may sound like an unusual career choice.

December 01, 2021

Education-wise, the captain of the tugboat needs to have the required certification which is classified on the basis of tonnage of the tugboat.

November 14, 2021

If you do not find working on solid ground appealing, you might want to consider a career as a tugboat captain.

November 09, 2021

In fact, travel is the norm when working in this niche of the commercial maritime industry. Offshore masters of towing experience international travel on open waters, while inland and near-offshore tugboat captains routinely visit new cities and ports.

October 30, 2021

Most Common Benefits for Tugboat Captain

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about salaries for a Tugboat Captain
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Tugboat captains steer these powerful vessels, which push and tow ships and barges in river and port areas and even on the open seas.
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The highest Tugboat Captain salary is $114,090, while the lowest is $83,906 in the United States.
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