Role A
Ship Captain
$79.8K
National median salary
VS
$31.8K gap
Role B
Stocker and Order Filler
$48.0K
National median salary
Updated for 2026

Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler Salary (2026)

Ship Captain currently leads this salary comparison on national median pay, but that does not automatically make it the better path for every reader. This page compares Ship Captain and Stocker and Order Filler by experience level, location, industry, specialization, remote pay, demand outlook, and switching difficulty so the tradeoffs are easier to read in one place.

National pay benchmarkExperience comparisonDemand and switching analysis12 min read
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Pays more now
Ship Captain
National median pay currently favors ship captain by $31.8k gap.
Long-term upside
Stocker and Order Filler
Senior and lead salary bands plus demand point to the stronger long-run ceiling.
Beginner friendliness
Stocker and Order Filler
Entry pay, preparation level, and early demand shape which path is easier to start with.
Work-life balance signal
Ship Captain
Remote flexibility and work-style intensity make the balance picture a little different from the pay picture.

Salary Comparison Summary: Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler

At the headline level, Ship Captain is benchmarked at $79,762.0 per year and Stocker and Order Filler is benchmarked at $47,970.0. That makes ship captain the current pay leader, but the better reading comes from looking at how each role behaves across the full pay ladder rather than stopping at one average.

This matters because some roles start lower and accelerate later, while others pay well early but flatten sooner. The summary table gives the quick salary picture before the deeper sections move into location, specialization, and demand.

MetricRole ARole BEdge
National median salary$79,762.0$47,970.0Role A
Hourly equivalent$38.4$23.1Role A
Entry-level salary$43,173.0$38,671.0Role A
Senior salary$116,090$55,743.0Role A
Lead salary ceiling$153,109$63,632.0Role A
Projected job growth0.5%8.5%Role B

Salary Difference by Experience Level

For Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler, experience shifts the pay story faster than most readers expect. Entry-level differences can be modest, then widen sharply once the work carries more ownership, leadership, or specialized tools. The full band progression shows whether one role only pays better now or also compounds better over time.

MetricRole ARole BEdge
Entry Level$43,173.0$38,671.0Role A
Mid Level$79,725.0$47,983.0Role A
Senior Level$116,090$55,743.0Role A
Lead / Principal$153,109$63,632.0Role A

Salary Comparison by Location

Location changes the Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler comparison because employer density, industry mix, and cost pressure are not evenly distributed. Ship Captain leads nationally, but that can flip inside specific metros if the local market favors the other role more heavily.

Ship Captain
$117K
Top metro benchmark
  • Houston, TX: $117K
  • Slidell, LA: $116K
  • Lake Charles, LA: $113K
  • San Francisco, CA: $111K
  • Beaumont, TX: $110K
Stocker and Order Filler
$46.0K
Top metro benchmark
  • Greeley, CO: $46.0K
  • Cheyenne, WY: $45.6K
  • San Jose, CA: $44.9K
  • San Francisco, CA: $44.6K
  • Bend, OR: $44.5K
State patternShip Captain peaks first in Mississippi, while Stocker and Order Filler peaks first in Washington.
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Salary Comparison by Industry

Industry premiums often explain why Ship Captain and Stocker and Order Filler salaries separate once real offers arrive. The tables below show where each role gets its strongest wage support — usually where specialization, regulation, employer scale, or revenue impact are higher.

Ship Captain
Wholesale Trade
$138,780 median
  • Wholesale Trade: $139K
  • Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction: $129K
  • Transportation and Warehousing: $92.4K
  • Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing: $85.5K
  • Manufacturing: $83.0K
Stocker and Order Filler
Utilities
$82,550.0 median
  • Utilities: $82.6K
  • Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction: $51.1K
  • Government Excluding Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service: $48.7K
  • Government, Schools, Hospitals, and Postal Service: $46.9K
  • Construction: $45.6K

Salary by Skill Specialization

Skill specialization shapes what employers pay for in Ship Captain and Stocker and Order Filler differently. The premium in each role may come from different strengths — systems judgment, tools, delivery speed, or market expertise. That divergence is often why salary moves differently even when both roles sit in the same broader market.

Ship Captain
Microsoft Excel
Technology
Microsoft PowerPoint
Technology
FURUNO navigational chart software
Technology
KNMI TurboWin
Technology
Microsoft Outlook
Technology
Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
Technology
Stocker and Order Filler
Microsoft Dynamics GP
Technology
Google Docs
Technology
Inventory management systems
Technology
Email software
Technology
Handheld computer device software
Technology
Data entry software
Technology

On the knowledge side, ship captain leans more on Transportation, Public Safety and Security, and Mechanical, while stocker and order filler leans more on Customer and Personal Service, English Language, and Public Safety and Security. Those differences help explain why salary movement can diverge even when both roles sit in the same broader employment market.

Entry-Level Salary Comparison

Entry-level Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler salary matters because it shapes the real cost of getting started in either role. The preparation gap and first-year pay difference can make one path noticeably more accessible than the other.

Ship Captain
$43.2K
Entry-level benchmark
  • Preparation level: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
  • Typical education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
  • Training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Stocker and Order Filler
$38.7K
Entry-level benchmark
  • Preparation level: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
  • Typical education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
  • Training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Mid-Career Salary Growth Comparison

Mid-career is where the Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler gap becomes clearer. Once the early learning curve is behind you, employers price each role differently based on independence, judgment, delivery speed, and how directly the work affects business or technical outcomes.

MetricRole ARole BEdge
Mid-career median$79,725.0$47,983.0Role A
Growth from entry84.7%24.1%Role A

Senior Level and Leadership Salary Comparison

The senior and lead bands are often where Ship Captain and Stocker and Order Filler pull apart most visibly. That gap usually reflects how the market values leverage in outcomes — leadership scope, systems ownership, revenue influence, or decision-making authority in each role.

MetricRole ARole BEdge
Senior salary$116,090$55,743.0Role A
Lead salary$153,109$63,632.0Role A
Lead upside above median92.0%32.6%Role A
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Job Demand Comparison

Ship Captain leads on salary, but demand data shows whether that pay ceiling is backed by a healthy market. A higher Ship Captain or Stocker and Order Filler median in a slower-growing field can still be the weaker long-term path if openings are narrower or growth is flatter.

MetricRole ARole BEdge
Projected growth0.5%8.5%Role B
Annual openings4k472kRole B
Employment base41k2,765kRole B

Entry Barrier and Career Difficulty Comparison

Ship Captain and Stocker and Order Filler differ on how hard each is to enter, not just on pay. Preparation level, education, related experience, and post-hire training all shape how quickly someone can move from interest to a real offer in each role.

Ship Captain
Compared on
Stocker and Order Filler
Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Preparation
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Related experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Training
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Which Role Pays More Long-Term?

The better long-term path is usually the one that combines a stronger senior ceiling with a healthier market around it. On that reading, Stocker and Order Filler looks stronger because the upper pay bands and demand signals hold together better once the early-career phase is past.

Ship Captain can reach roughly $153,109 at the lead band, while Stocker and Order Filler can reach roughly $63,632.0. That does not make the lower-ceiling role a bad choice. It simply means the pay curve starts to separate more clearly once leadership, ownership, and advanced specialization enter the picture.

MetricRole ARole BEdge
Year 1–2 cumulative$86.3K–$113K$77.3K–$87.2KRole A
Year 3–5 cumulative$256K–$462K$208K–$254KRole A
Year 6–10 cumulative$655K–$1M$448K–$573KRole A
The VerdictIf long-term salary maximization is the main priority, Stocker and Order Filler looks stronger in this comparison. Even so, the lower-ceiling role can still be the better strategic start when it is easier to enter, easier to prove value in, or easier to pivot from once stronger experience is in place.

Which Role Is Better for Beginners?

Beginners usually care about three things at once: how much the first role pays, how hard the role is to break into, and whether the market still offers enough openings to make the learning path worthwhile. On that three-part test, Stocker and Order Filler comes out slightly stronger.

That result is driven by the balance between entry pay, preparation level, and demand. Someone choosing a starting path may still prefer the other role if the work itself fits better, but this section is the clearest read on which one asks for less sacrifice up front.

Beginner read for Ship Captain
  • Entry salary starts around $43.2K.
  • Preparation level: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed.
  • Training expectation: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations..
  • Demand outlook: 0.5% projected growth.
  • Annual openings: 4k.
  • Remote compensation is less clearly visible in the current dataset for this role.
Beginner read for Stocker and Order Filler
  • Entry salary starts around $38.7K.
  • Preparation level: Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed.
  • Training expectation: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training..
  • Demand outlook: 8.5% projected growth.
  • Annual openings: 472k.
  • Remote compensation is less clearly visible in the current dataset for this role.

How to Switch From One Role to the Other

The easiest switches happen when the core overlap is already visible. In this pair, the clearest shared strengths are English Language, Public Safety and Security, Transportation, and Oral Comprehension. That overlap lowers the friction, but the target role still needs proof in the skills that do not transfer automatically.

Switching from Stocker and Order Filler to Ship Captain
1
Keep the overlap visible through English Language and Public Safety and Security in your portfolio or experience story.
2 to 4 weeks
2
Close the biggest gap by focusing on Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint.
4 to 10 weeks
3
Use ship captain salary benchmarks to target jobs where the pay increase justifies the effort.
1 to 3 months
Switching from Ship Captain to Stocker and Order Filler
1
Lead with the overlap in English Language and Public Safety and Security so the transition feels credible to employers.
2 to 4 weeks
2
Build proof around Microsoft Dynamics GP and Google Docs before applying broadly.
4 to 12 weeks
3
Compare stocker and order filler pay by city and industry to focus the switch on markets that reward the move.
1 to 3 months

Work-Life Balance Comparison

Comparing work-life balance for Ship Captain and Stocker and Order Filler is softer than salary because public occupation data does not produce one clean score. Remote flexibility, work-style intensity, and the structure of the work environment give the clearest available signal for each role.

On that softer reading, Ship Captain looks slightly more balanced. That edge usually comes from a mix of remote or hybrid pay support, the way employers organize the work, and whether the role seems to ask for constant escalation or steadier execution.

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Related Salary Guides and Career Paths

A role comparison becomes more useful when you read the full salary guides, the how-to-become pages, and the high-pay market pages for both roles. That is where the pair-level verdict turns into a clearer decision path for ship captain and stocker and order filler.

FAQs: Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler Salary

These questions usually come up after readers compare the national pay gap, experience bands, and switching difficulty together. They help close the practical questions that still remain once the numbers and the work path are already in view.

Ship Captain vs Stocker and Order Filler: which role pays more right now?

Ship Captain currently shows the stronger national median salary in Careerclev's comparison model. Ship Captain is benchmarked at $79,762.0, while Stocker and Order Filler is benchmarked at $47,970.0.

Which path has better long-term earning upside, Ship Captain or Stocker and Order Filler?

Stocker and Order Filler looks stronger on long-term upside when senior and lead pay are read together with growth outlook. Ship Captain reaches about $153,109 at the lead band, while Stocker and Order Filler reaches about $63,632.0.

Which role is easier to start with for beginners?

Stocker and Order Filler comes out better for beginners once entry pay, preparation level, and early-career demand are read together. Ship Captain starts around $43,173.0 and Stocker and Order Filler starts around $38,671.0.

Can someone switch from Ship Captain to Stocker and Order Filler?

Usually yes, especially when the two roles already share skills such as English Language, Public Safety and Security, and Transportation. The harder part is closing the target-role gaps, which often means learning Microsoft Dynamics GP, Google Docs, and Inventory management systems.

Why can the higher-paying role still be the weaker fit?

Pay is only one layer of the comparison. Preparation expectations, remote flexibility, work-style fit, demand outlook, and how quickly a role opens salary growth all matter. A slightly lower-paying role can still be the stronger choice if it is easier to enter, easier to progress in, or better aligned with the kind of work the reader actually wants to do.

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Data Sources & MethodologyThis page compares the same occupation records that power Careerclev salary, high-pay, and career guides. Median pay, experience bands, location pay, industry pay, openings, growth, and preparation signals come from those stored role records. Verdict sections such as beginner fit, long-term upside, switching difficulty, and work-life balance are modeled from those inputs so the side-by-side reading stays practical.
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