Sailors and Marine Oilers
Median $51,520
Occupation · SOC 53-5031
Ship Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What ship engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$109,530 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $111,790
- Median hourly wage
- $52.66
- Mean hourly wage
- $53.75
- Employment
- 8,400
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-5031.
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See where your pay falls among ship engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do ship engineers make?
The median annual wage for ship engineers was $109,530 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $57,870 and the highest-paid 10% more than $165,490. As an hourly rate, the median is $52.66. About 8,400 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New York ($133,640), Hawaii ($131,640) and Florida ($130,480). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Texas.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for ship engineers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $57,870 | $27.82 | $4,823 | $4,057 |
| 25th percentile | $82,130 | $39.49 | $6,844 | $5,551 |
| Median | $109,530 | $52.66 | $9,128 | $7,157 |
| 75th percentile | $135,760 | $65.27 | $11,313 | $8,671 |
| 90th percentile | $165,490 | $79.56 | $13,791 | $10,365 |
Ship Engineers: pay by state
25 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$101,615 take-home in national prices
2
$99,308 take-home in national prices
3
$97,727 take-home in national prices
Where a median ship engineer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 550 | $133,640 | $65,040 | $174,260 | $95,321 | $88,325 |
| Hawaii | 70 | $131,640 | $93,650 | $194,880 | $92,651 | $84,266 |
| Florida | 1,260 | $130,480 | $77,970 | $149,920 | $100,449 | $97,133 |
| Texas | 660 | $127,810 | $93,560 | $150,460 | $98,624 | $101,615 |
| Massachusetts | 150 | $122,720 | $81,580 | $150,830 | $88,665 | $83,838 |
| Indiana | 210 | $122,190 | $50,040 | $165,440 | $91,208 | $97,727 |
| Kentucky | Not published | $120,550 | $81,040 | $121,880 | $89,535 | $99,308 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $119,330 | $76,120 | $159,990 | $87,612 | $85,659 |
| Connecticut | 50 | $119,010 | $53,690 | $140,320 | $86,068 | $83,069 |
| New Jersey | 170 | $118,310 | $87,310 | $150,600 | $86,027 | $79,066 |
| Illinois | 110 | $115,310 | $52,870 | $136,310 | $84,388 | $84,423 |
| Washington | 730 | $107,940 | $61,530 | $157,340 | $83,268 | $77,812 |
| Louisiana | 610 | $103,430 | $59,100 | $244,020 | $78,876 | $89,422 |
| Mississippi | 140 | $98,380 | $75,730 | $129,880 | $74,837 | $86,066 |
| South Carolina | 80 | $97,890 | $61,610 | $114,860 | $73,562 | $78,466 |
| California | 610 | $97,660 | $80,820 | $169,280 | $71,427 | $64,511 |
| Alabama | 50 | $96,030 | $91,410 | $114,490 | $72,440 | $81,556 |
| Oregon | 80 | $88,800 | $57,180 | $168,360 | $64,600 | $62,500 |
| Alaska | 420 | $88,190 | $40,240 | $145,930 | $70,601 | $68,974 |
| Virginia | 1,450 | $82,370 | $47,420 | $150,300 | $62,855 | $62,169 |
| Pennsylvania | 90 | $80,210 | $63,990 | $126,510 | $62,739 | $64,300 |
| Michigan | 100 | $79,170 | $34,050 | $116,790 | $61,412 | $63,827 |
| Maine | 30 | $77,160 | $60,280 | $101,790 | $59,196 | $60,995 |
| North Carolina | 90 | $65,010 | $62,360 | $96,940 | $52,330 | $55,478 |
| Puerto Rico | Not published | $40,080 | $35,950 | $59,840 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-5031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.