Money · 1 of 4
What deckhands make
Median
$51,520
Bottom tenth
$34,560
Top tenth
$83,620
The national median is $51,520 a year, the bottom tenth earn $34,560 or less and the top tenth $83,620 or more (2025 federal wage survey). The federal survey files this job under Sailors and Marine Oilers, which lumps deckhands in with the people who oil the engines, so the figures cover a slightly wider group than the job title.