Experience, skills, and place of employment influence how much a commercial diver can earn in the United States. Typically, commercial divers can make as much as $75 per hour.

For beginning offshore divers, the pay is $8 per hour, and $9 for onshore divers. Offshore divers may have a lower hourly wage, but since they have longer work hours, they can make more than onshore divers in a year. Divers with more than five years of experience can make between $35,000 and $70,000 a year.

A diver who is a member of a union can earn substantially more. Starting pay for a unionized diver is $34 per hour. However, finding union jobs can be challenging.