Marine Chief Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Marine Chief Engineer make in the United States?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Marine Chief Engineer in the United States is $126,738 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $61.

However, a Marine Chief Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $141,836
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $110,309 to $134,641
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $95,351
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View as table View as graph 25% $110,309 10% $95,351 90% $141,836 75% $134,641 $126,738 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Marine Chief Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $134,641 $11,220 $2,589 $65
Average $126,738 $10,562 $2,437 $61
25th Percentile $110,309 $9,192 $2,121 $53
Check out Marine Chief Engineer Job Openings in the United States
Assistant Chief Engineer

Sinclair Broadcast Group - Steubenville, OH

Chief Engineer

Newport Hospitality Group - Columbus, OH

Chief Engineer

Ivy Hospitality - Columbus, OH

Chief Engineer

The Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort - Newbury, OH

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Key Factors That Influence Marine Chief Engineer Salaries

A Marine Chief Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Marine Chief Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Marine Chief Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $86,974
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $104,164
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $130,161
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $101,088
  • Expert (over 8 years): $131,606
Levels Salary
Digital P... Level Marine Chief Engineer$86,974
Digital P... Level Marine Chief Engineer$104,164
Marine Ch... Level Marine Chief Engineer$130,161
Digital P... Level Marine Chief Engineer$101,088
Digital P... Level Marine Chief Engineer$131,606
$86,974 0 yr
$104,164 < 2 yrs
$130,161 2-4 yrs
$101,088 5-8 yrs
$131,606 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Marine Chief Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $159,855
  • San Francisco: $158,104
  • Oakland: $154,772

What Skills Can Increase a Marine Chief Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Project Management (Mentioned in 6.25% Job Postings): Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.
  • Adobe (Mentioned in 2.96% Job Postings): A mixture of wet earth and grass made into bricks and dried in the sun, used to build houses. It originated from the oral form of Arabic al-tob, meaning "brick," It is the first materials used to create buildings in the 8th century B.C
  • Content Management (Mentioned in 1.9% Job Postings): Content management (CM) is a set of processes and technologies that supports the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium. When stored and accessed via computers, this information may be more specifically referred to as digital content, or simply as content. Digital content may take the form of text (such as electronic documents), multimedia files (such as audio or video files), or any other file type that follows a content lifecycle requiring management.The process is complex enough to manage that several large and small commercial software vendors such as Interwoven and Microsoft offer content management software to control and automate significant aspects of the content lifecycle.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Project Management 6.25%
Adobe 2.96%
Content Management 1.9%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Marine Chief Engineer's salary.
  • Communication Skills: Can increase your salary by up to 2,370%.
  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 2,370%.
  • Organizational Skills: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Communication Skills
$3,130,429
2,370%
Innovation
$3,130,429
2,370%
Organizational Skills
$154,620
22%
Attention to Detail
$154,620
22%
Flexibility
$154,620
22%
Time Management
$154,620
22%
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Marine Chief Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Marine Chief Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on May 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Marine Chief Engineer

Salaries for a Marine Chief Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $120,542 in 2023 to around $119,483 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Marine Chief Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Marine Chief Engineer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$120,542
2024
$120,547
2025
$119,483
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $120,542
2024 $120,547
2025 $119,483
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Marine Chief Engineer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Marine Chief Engineer

Here are companies hiring for Marine Chief Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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