Ship Engineers pay range in Chicago
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $38,780 a year or less, while the top 10% make $159,720 or more. The middle half of ship engineers in Chicago earn between $52,870 and $126,160.
- $39K10th
- $53K25th
- $78KMedian
- $126K75th
- $160K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $91,020 | $7,585 | $43.76 |
| Median | $77,770 | $6,481 | $37.39 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $52,870 | $4,406 | $25.42 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $126,160 | $10,513 | $60.65 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Ship Engineers salary after taxes in Chicago
On the average salary of $91,020, a single filer in Chicago takes home about $68,498 a year, or $5,708 a month and $2,635 every two weeks. Taxes take 25% of gross pay.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Working in IN | $70,162 | $5,847 |
| Working in IL | $68,498 | $5,708 |
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
Is Chicago a good place for ship engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Chicago area are 4% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 103.6), so the average $91,020 buys what about $87,861 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Chicago ($54,720). A typical home costs $353,998, or 3.9 years of this average salary before tax.
Ship Engineers salary in nearby metro areas
- Pittsburgh, PA$77,670
- Washington, DC$113,840
- Virginia Beach, VA$91,010
- New York, NY$126,400
- Charleston, SC$96,430
- Mobile, AL$98,300
Highest-paying cities for ship engineers
New Orleans, LA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($151,960).
- New Orleans, LA$151,960
- Honolulu, HI$135,380
- San Francisco, CA$130,570
- Houston, TX$127,070
- New York, NY$126,400
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Ship Engineers salary in Chicago: questions
How much do ship engineers make an hour in Chicago?
$43.76 an hour on average, and $37.39 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level ship engineers salary in Chicago?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $38,780 a year and the 25th percentile is $52,870, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the ship engineers take-home pay in Chicago?
About $68,498 a year ($5,708 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $91,020.
Do ship engineers earn more in Chicago than elsewhere?
The average here is 20% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($113,388).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 53-5031; area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (16980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 7.1%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.20, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.20).
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