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The national median salary for Ship Engineers is $109,533 per year ($52.66/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $82,139 and $135,762 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $165,485 per year. There are approximately 8,400 ship engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.6%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
9K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation
NAICS 483100
2K
$130,790
Support Activities for Water Transportation
NAICS 488300
2K
$102,800
Inland Water Transportation
NAICS 483200
1K
$120,550
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
1K
$73,610
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
400
$100,610
Wage range across top 5 industries: $73,610 to $130,790 (78% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$27.82
$57,866
P25
$39.49
$82,139
P50MEDIAN
$52.66
$109,533
P75
$65.27
$135,762
P90
$79.56
$165,485
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average ship engineers salary?
The national median salary for Ship Engineers is $109,533 per year ($52.66/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $82,139 and $135,762 annually.
How much do top-earning ship engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Ship Engineers is $165,485 per year ($79.56/hr). The 75th percentile is $135,762 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for ship engineers?
Entry-level Ship Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $57,866 per year ($27.82/hr). The 25th percentile is $82,139 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.