Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is $82,370/year ($39.6/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $47K at the entry level to $149K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.94), that's roughly $84,103 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,713/month, about 32.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $82K get you in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk’s Regional Price Parity (97.94). 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk
Pay for ship engineers in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk runs about 25% below the U.S. median of $110K. Rent runs $1,713/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 33.1% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 97.94) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for ship engineers in metros near Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $122K | $112K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $47K. Mid-career wages sit at $82K. Top earners bring in $149K or more, a $102K 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $82K, rent takes 33.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,713/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 Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
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 $1,713/month FMR, rent would take 60% 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 Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
Local pay runs 25% below the national median — $82K here vs. $110K nationally.
How does Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk pays $82K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s -25%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.94), the purchasing-power equivalent is $84K — below the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC?
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 $149,170. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $82K enough to live in Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,176/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,713/month, which eats 33.1% 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 Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk?
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk has a Regional Price Parity of 97.94 (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 $84,103 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.