Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Kentucky is $120,550/year ($57.96/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $81K at the entry level to $122K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 90.23), which stretches that salary to about $133,603 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,110/month, or 15.2% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Kentucky. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $121K get you in Kentucky?
About ship engineers
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Kentucky
Ship engineers pay in Kentucky tracks closely to the national median, $121K locally vs. $110K nationwide, a 10% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,110/month, 15.1% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 90.23 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Kentucky
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $81K. Mid-career wages sit at $121K. Top earners bring in $122K or more, a $41K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Kentucky numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Kentucky?
Yes — at the median salary of $121K, rent takes 15.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,110/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in Kentucky?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $81K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,862/month. At HUD’s $1,110/month FMR, rent would take 23% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is ship engineer a high-paying job in Kentucky?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $121K locally vs. $110K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Kentucky compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Kentucky pays $121K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s +10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 90.23), the purchasing-power equivalent is $134K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Kentucky?
The median is $120,550 a year, that works out to about $58 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $81,040, and experienced ship engineers can clear $121,880. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $121K enough to live in Kentucky?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,361/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,110/month, which eats 15.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a ship engineers salary go in Kentucky?
Kentucky has a Regional Price Parity of 90.23 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median ship engineers salary is worth about $133,603 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.