Ship Engineers Salary: $138,937 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 8,580 ship engineers nationally earn a mean of $138,937. Employment in the series shown rose about 34% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.2% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Ship Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about ship engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a ship engineers?
Ship Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-5031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 8,580 workers.
What does a ship engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Controlling Machines and Processes, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a ship engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $101,320 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $138,937 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $79,906 |
| 25th percentile | $98,395 |
| Median (50th) | $137,934 |
| 75th percentile | $170,916 |
| 90th percentile | $205,128 |
What education do you need?
For Ship Engineers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Mechanical, Administration and Management, English Language, Engineering and Technology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is ship engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.2% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -5.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -11.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 8,580.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do ship engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 8,580 | 20.2% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 6,860 | 16.2% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 5,680 | 13.4% |
| Water Transportation | 3,490 | 8.2% |
| Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation | 2,040 | 4.8% |
| Support Activities for Water Transportation | 2,010 | 4.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Ship Engineers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers | 97,540 | $38,860 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 1,531,700 | $48,620 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other | 183,690 | $48,640 |
| Highway Maintenance Workers | 151,750 | $49,070 |
| Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | 8,440 | $105,670 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Ship Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
8,580 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 8,580 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 8,580 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.