Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in New Jersey is $118,310/year ($56.88/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $87K at the entry level to $151K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.34), that's roughly $119,096 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $2,067/month, or 28.4% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of New Jersey. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $118K get you in New Jersey?
About ship engineers
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What this looks like in New Jersey
Ship engineers pay in New Jersey tracks closely to the national median, $118K locally vs. $110K nationwide, a 8% difference. Rent runs $2,067/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 28.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 99.34) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New Jersey
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $87K. Mid-career wages sit at $118K. Top earners bring in $151K or more, a $63K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when New Jersey numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in New Jersey?
Yes — at the median salary of $118K, rent takes 28.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,067/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in New Jersey?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $87K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,239/month. At HUD’s $2,067/month FMR, rent would take 39% 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 New Jersey?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $118K locally vs. $110K nationally, a 8% difference.
How does New Jersey compare to the national average for ship engineers?
New Jersey pays $118K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s +8%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.34), the purchasing-power equivalent is $119K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in New Jersey?
The median is $118,310 a year, that works out to about $57 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $87,310, and experienced ship engineers can clear $150,600. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $118K enough to live in New Jersey?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,184/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,067/month, which eats 28.8% 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 New Jersey?
New Jersey has a Regional Price Parity of 99.34 (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 $119,096 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.