Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $77,770/year ($37.39/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $160K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.59), that's roughly $75,075 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,781/month, about 34.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $78K actually covers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Chicago-Naperville-Elgin’s Regional Price Parity (103.59). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About ship engineers
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What this looks like in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Pay for ship engineers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin runs about 29% below the U.S. median of $110K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,781/month, which is 36.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.59) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for ship engineers.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $78K. Top earners bring in $160K or more, a $121K spread from bottom to top.
Ship Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Ship Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $134K | +22% | 550 |
| Hawaii | $132K | +20% | 70 |
| Florida | $130K | +19% | 1,260 |
| Texas | $128K | +17% | 660 |
| Massachusetts | $123K | +12% | 150 |
| Indiana | $122K | +12% | 210 |
| Kentucky | $121K | +10% | N/A |
| Rhode Island | $119K | +9% | 50 |
| Connecticut | $119K | +9% | 50 |
| New Jersey | $118K | +8% | 170 |
| Illinois | $115K | +5% | 110 |
| Washington | $108K | -1% | 730 |
| Louisiana | $103K | -6% | 610 |
| Mississippi | $98K | -10% | 140 |
| South Carolina | $98K | -11% | 80 |
| California | $98K | -11% | 610 |
| Alabama | $96K | -12% | 50 |
| Oregon | $89K | -19% | 80 |
| Alaska | $88K | -19% | 420 |
| Virginia | $82K | -25% | 1,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $80K | -27% | 90 |
| Michigan | $79K | -28% | 100 |
| Maine | $77K | -30% | 30 |
| North Carolina | $65K | -41% | 90 |
Showing 1–10 of 24 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Chicago-Naperville-Elgin numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $78K, rent takes 36.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,781/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,607/month. At HUD’s $1,781/month FMR, rent would take 68% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is ship engineer a high-paying job in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Local pay runs 29% below the national median — $78K here vs. $110K nationally.
How does Chicago-Naperville-Elgin compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays $78K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s -29%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.59), the purchasing-power equivalent is $75K — below the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The median is $77,770 a year, that works out to about $37 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,780, and experienced ship engineers can clear $159,720. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $78K enough to live in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,937/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,781/month, which eats 36.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a ship engineers salary go in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has a Regional Price Parity of 103.59 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median ship engineers salary is worth about $75,075 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do ship engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.