SOC 17-2121BLS OEWS May 2025H-1B LCAs, last 12 months
Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems.
National median · BLS
$112,230
▲ +6.21%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$110,058
▼ -4.76%YoY · 64 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$124,180
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
8,250
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 64 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay
$83,010
$81,369
25th
$99,250
$92,000
Median (50th)
$112,230
$110,058
75th
$137,690
$133,498
90th — top pay
$173,330
$143,023
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $110,058 for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects —
1.9% below
the BLS national median of $112,230.
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
BLS projects employment of marine engineers and naval architects to grow 6.7% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
8,400 → 8,900
+600 jobs
Projected change
+6.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.
H-1B median$110,058
Change vs prior year-4.76%
After inflation (CPI-U)-7.65%
Wage level
LCAs
Share
P25
Median
P75
Level I
14
21.9%
$73,442
$81,550
$87,911
Level II
22
34.4%
$92,700
$101,982
$113,159
Level III
16
25%
$107,586
$126,544
$137,340
Level IV
11
17.2%
$127,500
$136,161
$173,622
Top H-1B sponsors for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Employers with the most certified LCAs for this occupation nationwide. Browse all sponsors →
Employer
Certified LCAs
Median
Profile
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What marine engineers and naval architects do
Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives.
Design complete hull and superstructure according to specifications and test data, in conformity with standards of safety, efficiency, and economy.
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, displacement, and draft.
Maintain contact with, and formulate reports for, contractors and clients to ensure completion of work at minimum cost.
Coordinate activities with regulatory bodies to ensure repairs and alterations are at minimum cost and consistent with safety.
Check, test, and maintain automatic controls and alarm systems.
Prepare technical reports for use by engineering, management, or sales personnel.
Architect SpecialistAutomation EngineerBoat DesignerConsulting Marine EngineerEngineerEngineering SpecialistMarine Civil EngineerMarine ConsultantMarine Equipment Design EngineerMarine Equipment EngineerMarine Equipment Research EngineerMarine Equipment Test EngineerMarine Service EngineerNaval EngineerNaval Marine EngineerNavigation EngineerPiping DesignerProject EngineerPropulsion Machinery Service EngineerShip SurveyorStructural Designer
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Marine Engineers and Naval Architects, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $112,230.
