Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA is $108,900/year ($52.35/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $62K at the entry level to $170K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 111.13), so that salary is closer to $97,993 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,501/month, about 34.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $109K actually covers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue’s Regional Price Parity (111.13). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
Ship engineers pay in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue tracks closely to the national median, $109K locally vs. $110K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,501/month, which is 35.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 11% above the national average (BEA RPP 111.13), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for ship engineers in metros near Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro | $89K | $84K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $62K. Mid-career wages sit at $109K. Top earners bring in $170K or more, a $108K 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $109K, rent takes 35.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,501/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $2,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $62K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,290/month. At HUD’s $2,501/month FMR, rent would take 58% 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $109K locally vs. $110K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue pays $109K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s -1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 111.13), the purchasing-power equivalent is $98K — below the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA?
The median is $108,900 a year, that works out to about $52 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $61,530, and experienced ship engineers can clear $169,670. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $109K enough to live in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,083/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,501/month, which eats 35.3% 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue?
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue has a Regional Price Parity of 111.13 (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 $97,993 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.