Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Virginia is $82,370/year ($39.6/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $150K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $86,897 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 31.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Virginia. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $82K get you in Virginia?
About ship engineers
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What this looks like in Virginia
Pay for ship engineers in Virginia runs about 25% below the U.S. median of $110K. Rent runs $1,646/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 31.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% 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, Virginia
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $82K. Top earners bring in $150K or more, a $103K spread from bottom to top.
Ship Engineers salary by metro in Virginia
1 metro area with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $82K | +0% | 1,420 |
Compare to other states
Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $82K, rent takes 31.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $47K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,845/month. At HUD’s $1,646/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 Virginia?
Local pay runs 25% below the national median — $82K here vs. $110K nationally. Cost of living is 5% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Virginia pays $82K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s -25%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $87K — below the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Virginia?
The median is $82,370 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $47,420, and experienced ship engineers can clear $150,300. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $82K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,176/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 31.8% 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 Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (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 $86,897 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.