Architecture and Engineering Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 17-2121

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

O*NET task statements lead this Marine Engineers and Naval Architects card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Computer Hardware Engineers, Civil Engineers, Environmental Engineers, Industrial Engineers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Marine Engineers and Naval Architects: Computer Hardware Engineers ($162K) , Civil Engineers ($101K) , Environmental Engineers ($107K) , Industrial Engineers ($102K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Marine Engineers and Naval Architects publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 17-2121 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and poll…
  2. 2. Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, an…
  3. 3. Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses
  4. 4. Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacem…
  5. 5. Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost
  6. 6. Supervise other engineers and crew members and train them for routine and emergency duties
  7. 7. Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety
  8. 8. Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems
  9. 9. Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel
  10. 10. Design layout of craft interior, including cargo space, passenger compartments, ladder wells, and elevators
  11. 11. Prepare, or direct the preparation of, product or system layouts and detailed drawings and schematics
  12. 12. Evaluate performance of craft during dock and sea trials to determine design changes and conformance with national and international stan…

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 17-2121 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 4.1 ; lead knowledge Engineering and Technology. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 4.1
  2. 2. Complex Problem Solving 4.1
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.8
  5. 5. Writing 3.8
  6. 6. Speaking 3.8
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.8
  8. 8. Mathematics 3.6

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Engineering and Technology 4.3
  2. 2. Mechanical 4.2
  3. 3. Design 4.0
  4. 4. English Language 4.0
  5. 5. Transportation 3.7
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.6
National median after O*NET task lead
$112,230
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and poll…
$112K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
600
Annual openings
8,250
Estimated US jobs
Computer Hardware Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $162K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

1. California $110,700
2. Texas $152,780
3. Maryland $130,150
4. District of Columbia $172,330
5. Florida $130,640
6. New York $112,230
7. Massachusetts $114,640
8. Hawaii $108,200
9. Washington $109,550
10. South Carolina $136,990

Other Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles

  1. 1. Environmental Engineers $107,110
  2. 2. Civil Engineers $100,840
  3. 3. Industrial Engineers $102,440
  4. 4. Computer Hardware Engineers $161,740
  5. 5. Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $130,220
  6. 6. Materials Engineers $112,860

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (SOC 17-2121). The national OEWS median is $112,230 inside Architecture and Engineering Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Computer Hardware Engineers, Civil Engineers, Environmental Engineers, Industrial Engineers. Lead published task: Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and poll….

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 600 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $110,700. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Computer Hardware Engineers at $161,740. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects pay-rank #11 in Architecture and Engineering Occupations

Among 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations with a published OEWS median, Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is pay-rank #11, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 17-2121 · national median $112,230 · upper third of Architecture and Engineering Occupations (#11/36). The day-to-day tasks above set this role apart from peers with a similar title.

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 17-2121

California · top state for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

$111K published median

Texas · #2 state pay

$153K · behind California

Computer Hardware Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Marine Engineers and Naval Architects · $162K

Civil Engineers

Lower-pay peer beside Marine Engineers and Naval Architects · $101K

Compare Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Marine Engineers and Naval Architects with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Architecture and Engineering Occupations titles sit near Marine Engineers and Naval Architects at the top of the pay table? ▼
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is pay-rank #11 of 36 detailed Architecture and Engineering Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Materials Engineers ($113K), Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers ($109K), Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors ($115K), Electrical Engineers ($121K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do marine engineers and naval architects do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. Leading ones include: Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and poll…; Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, an…; Conduct analyses of ships, such as stability, structural, weight, and vibration analyses; Study design proposals and specifications to establish basic characteristics of craft, such as size, weight, speed, propulsion, displacem…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for marine engineers and naval architects? ▼
For SOC 17-2121, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (4.1), Complex Problem Solving (4.1), Reading Comprehension (3.9), Active Listening (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Engineering and Technology, Mechanical, Design. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $112,230 as the national median for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. The published 10th-90th range is $83,010 to $173,330. Beside Computer Hardware Engineers ($161,740), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Marine Engineers and Naval Architects? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects? ▼
California ($110,700), Texas ($152,780), Maryland ($130,150) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Marine Engineers and Naval Architects card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 17-2121. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics