Marine Engineers and Naval Architects Salary: $105,670 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 8,440 marine engineers and naval architects work nationally, and $105,670 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 23% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.4% annual growth.
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects: what the data shows
Common questions about marine engineers and naval architects careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a marine engineers and naval architects?
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2121.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 8,440 workers.
What does a marine engineers and naval architects do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a marine engineers and naval architects make?
BLS national median annual wage: $105,670 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $123,189 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $65,637 |
| 25th percentile | $93,370 |
| Median (50th) | $132,249 |
| 75th percentile | $152,690 |
| 90th percentile | $171,724 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Design, Physics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is marine engineers and naval architects in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 6.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 14.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 8,440.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do marine engineers and naval architectss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 8,440 | 19.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 7,310 | 16.5% |
| Manufacturing | 4,430 | 10.0% |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 4,410 | 10.0% |
| Ship and Boat Building | 4,400 | 9.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 2,290 | 5.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 53,520 | $60,800 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
| Database Architects | 64,770 | $135,980 |
| Landscape Architects | 19,580 | $79,660 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Marine Engineers and Naval Architects workforce.
Employment Over Time
8,440 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects grew from 580 in 2011 to 700 in 2025 (20.7%).
Historical employment for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects from the California OEWS series, 2011–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$105,670 Median pay (BLS national)
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects earn $105,670 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Salary distribution for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Employment Growth Projections
1.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
748 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 6.9%
800 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 14.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Marine Engineers and Naval Architects and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Wage Trends by Industry
-15.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -10.5% growth (Current: $138,630)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- VA: 1,880 employees, $107,600 avg wage
- FL: 600 employees, $117,380 avg wage
- TX: 570 employees, $140,200 avg wage
- DC: 400 employees, $160,330 avg wage
- WA: 330 employees, $113,570 avg wage
- MD: 320 employees, $130,520 avg wage
- ME: 310 employees, $103,030 avg wage
- PA: 270 employees, N/A avg wage
- CA: 200 employees, $119,930 avg wage
- HI: 110 employees, $99,140 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC: 1,810 employees, $107,520 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 640 employees, $151,160 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 470 employees, $137,110 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 270 employees, N/A avg wage
- Portland-South Portland, ME: 270 employees, $105,860 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 210 employees, $118,020 avg wage
- Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA: 140 employees, $106,670 avg wage
- Urban Honolulu, HI: 110 employees, $99,140 avg wage
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD: 90 employees, $110,500 avg wage
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL: 90 employees, $114,230 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Diversity
Demographic information on Marine Engineers and Naval Architects in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is about 8,440 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
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 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Marine Engineers and Naval Architects in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Mathematics.
Common majors for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Marine Engineers and Naval Architects workers.
Education level distribution for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Skills
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects include Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Design, Physics, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects include Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
Daily Activities
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Working with Computers.
Most important work activities for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.
About
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects earn $105,670 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
17-2121 - Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Marine Engineers and Naval Architects reports an average salary of $123,189, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 8,440 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.4%, 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.