Ship Engineers pay range in Charleston
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $64,050 a year or less, while the top 10% make $122,190 or more. The middle half of ship engineers in Charleston earn between $80,720 and $103,580.
- $64K10th
- $81K25th
- $98KMedian
- $104K75th
- $122K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $96,430 | $8,036 | $46.36 |
| Median | $98,450 | $8,204 | $47.33 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $80,720 | $6,727 | $38.81 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $103,580 | $8,632 | $49.80 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Ship Engineers salary after taxes in Charleston
On the average salary of $96,430, a single filer in Charleston takes home about $72,610 a year, or $6,051 a month and $2,793 every two weeks. Taxes take 25% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules).
Is Charleston a good place for ship engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Charleston area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 101.0), so the average $96,430 buys what about $95,511 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.0 times the median wage of all jobs in Charleston ($49,150). A typical home costs $435,877, or 4.5 years of this average salary before tax.
Ship Engineers salary in nearby metro areas
- Jacksonville, FL$124,210
- Virginia Beach, VA$91,010
- Washington, DC$113,840
- Miami, FL$121,780
- Mobile, AL$98,300
- Pittsburgh, PA$77,670
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 Charleston: questions
How much do ship engineers make an hour in Charleston?
$46.36 an hour on average, and $47.33 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level ship engineers salary in Charleston?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $64,050 a year and the 25th percentile is $80,720, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the ship engineers take-home pay in Charleston?
About $72,610 a year ($6,051 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $96,430.
Do ship engineers earn more in Charleston than elsewhere?
The average here is 15% 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC (16700). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.9%.
- 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 (2026 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 3.36, this job is 3.4 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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