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What does a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels salary really buy you in Alaska?
Alaska is 2.0% pricier than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Alaska's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 102.0, meaning prices are 2.0% higher the national average. A Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels earning $88,230 in Alaska has the equivalent purchasing power of $86,500 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Alaska's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $42,360 | $41,529 | $-830 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $60,750 | $59,558 | $-1,191 |
| Median (P50) | $88,230 | $86,500 | $-1,730 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $121,700 | $119,313 | $-2,386 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $149,370 | $146,441 | $-2,928 |
Alaska's cost of living is close to the national average, so $88,230 keeps most of its value at $86,500 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 102.0, Alaska is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Alaska's cost of living, $88,230 nominal nets out to $86,500 in real purchasing power — a small 2.0% loss. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels.
Alaska sits at #15 of 38 states for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels COL-adjusted salary — comfortably above the national midpoint.
Where does Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Alaska ranks #15 out of 38 states for Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels take-home pay in Alaska after taxes →
A Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Alaska earns a median salary of $88,230 per year. After adjusting for Alaska's cost of living (RPP=102.0), the real purchasing power is $86,500 — a -2.0% difference.
Alaska's cost of living is 2.0% higher than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Alaska is 102.0 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels in Alaska: $88,230 x (100 / 102.0) = $86,500. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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