Ship Engineers
Ship Engineers earn an average annual salary of $138,937, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 34.4% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Ship Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
430 Workforce in 2023
The Ship Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Ship Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$138,937 Average Wage
In 2023, Ship Engineers earned an average of $138,937.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Ship Engineers.
Salary distribution for Ship Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,282 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -5.7%
1,209 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -11.0%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Ship Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Ship Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Ship Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Ship Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-49.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -4.4% growth (Current: $152,073)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Ship Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Ship Engineers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 250 employees, $125,469 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Ship Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 90 employees, $152,073 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 70 employees, $91,450 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 50 employees, $123,772 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 40 employees, $127,267 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Ship Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Ship Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Ship Engineers in 2023 was 430 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Ship Engineers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Ship Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Ship Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Ship Engineers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Mathematics.
Common majors for Ship Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Ship Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Ship Engineers.
Skills
Ship Engineers need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance.
Required skills for Ship Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Ship Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Ship Engineers include Mechanical, Administration and Management, English Language, Engineering and Technology, Transportation.
Knowledge areas required for Ship Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Ship Engineers include Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Control Precision, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Ship Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Ship Engineers.
Daily Activities
Ship Engineers spend their time on activities such as Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.
Most important work activities for Ship Engineers.
About
Ship Engineers
The average yearly wage for Ship Engineers was $138,937 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-5031 - Ship Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Ship Engineers reports an average salary of $138,937, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 430 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.