Occupation overview

Ship Engineers Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for ship engineers is $109,530, or $52.66 per hour. About 8,400 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $133,640 in New York to $65,010 in North Carolina.

Median annual
$109,530
Median hourly
$52.66
Entry level (P10)
$57,870
Top 10% (P90)
$165,490
Employment
8,400
States covered
24

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$57,870
$82,130
$109,530
$135,760
$57,870$109,530$165,490
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $109,530.

Salary by state

All 24 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1New York$133,640$64.255501.05
2Hawaii$131,640$63.29702.01
3Florida$130,480$62.731,2602.34
4Texas$127,810$61.456600.87
5Massachusetts$122,720$59.001500.74
6Indiana$122,190$58.752101.22
7Kentucky$120,550$57.96——
8Rhode Island$119,330$57.37501.78
9Connecticut$119,010$57.22500.55
10New Jersey$118,310$56.881700.74
11Illinois$115,310$55.441100.33
12Washington$107,940$51.907303.78
13Louisiana$103,430$49.736105.84
14Mississippi$98,380$47.301402.16
15South Carolina$97,890$47.06800.62
16California$97,660$46.956100.62
17Alabama$96,030$46.17500.40
18Oregon$88,800$42.69800.74
19Alaska$88,190$42.4042023.80
20Virginia$82,370$39.601,4506.53
21Pennsylvania$80,210$38.56900.28
22Michigan$79,170$38.061000.40
23Maine$77,160$37.10300.96
24North Carolina$65,010$31.26900.35

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do ship engineers make?

The median annual wage for ship engineers in the United States is $109,530, or $52.66 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $57,870, and the top 10% earn $165,490.

How many ship engineers are employed in the U.S.?

About 8,400 people work as ship engineers nationwide.

Which state pays ship engineers the most?

New York pays the most at a median of $133,640, followed by Hawaii ($131,640) and Florida ($130,480).

Which state pays ship engineers the least?

North Carolina has the lowest median at $65,010.

Where are ship engineers jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Alaska at 23.80×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes