Transportation

Tugboat & Barge Operators

SOC 53-5022

Operate tugboats and barges to push and tow cargo on waterways.

Median pay

$48k

$43k to $69k typical range

Outlook

Growing

300 openings / yr

Education

High school plus USCG license

AI exposure

29%

modeled estimate · 1th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

40/100

Key skills

Speaking
Monitoring
Active Listening
Critical Thinking
Reading Comprehension
Active Learning

Where this ranks

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2024-2034). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How we model AI exposure.