Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in New Orleans-Metairie, LA is $132,710/year ($63.8/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $55K at the entry level to $276K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.6), which stretches that salary to about $143,315 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,331/month, or 16.5% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $133K get you in New Orleans-Metairie?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by New Orleans-Metairie’s Regional Price Parity (92.6). 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 New Orleans-Metairie
New Orleans-Metairie sits well above the national pay line for ship engineers, local pay runs about 21% higher than the U.S. median of $110K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,331/month, 16.6% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.6 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 7% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Combined with manageable housing costs, New Orleans-Metairie offers a genuinely strong financial position for ship engineerss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for ship engineers in metros near New Orleans-Metairie, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $100K | $118K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $131K | $133K |
| Corpus Christi | $109K | $117K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $55K. Mid-career wages sit at $133K. Top earners bring in $276K or more, a $221K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when New Orleans-Metairie numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in New Orleans-Metairie?
Yes — at the median salary of $133K, rent takes 16.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,331/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in New Orleans-Metairie?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $55K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,288/month. At HUD’s $1,331/month FMR, rent would take 40% 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 Orleans-Metairie?
Local pay is 21% above the national median — $133K here vs. $110K nationally.
How does New Orleans-Metairie compare to the national average for ship engineers?
New Orleans-Metairie pays $133K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s +21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.6), the purchasing-power equivalent is $143K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in New Orleans-Metairie, LA?
The median is $132,710 a year, that works out to about $64 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,800, and experienced ship engineers can clear $276,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $133K enough to live in New Orleans-Metairie?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,034/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,331/month, which eats 16.6% 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 Orleans-Metairie?
New Orleans-Metairie has a Regional Price Parity of 92.6 (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 $143,315 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.