Industrial Engineer vs Marine Engineers and Naval Architects: $102K vs $112K Median Pay

Industrial Engineer vs Marine Engineers and Naval Architects: what changes?

Consider Industrial Engineer if you want to design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis…. Consider Marine Engineers and Naval Architects if you would rather design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Industrial Engineer and Marine Engineers and Naval Architects. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Industrial Engineer

National median pay (2025): $102,440
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 23,100

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Industrial Engineer brief

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

National median pay (2025): $112,230
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Perform monitoring activities to ensure that ships comply with international regulations and standards for life-saving equipment and pollution preventatives.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 500

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (8,400 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Marine Engineers and Naval Architects brief

How the national numbers differ

Industrial Engineer has the edge on annual openings

Industrial Engineer is at 23,100 annual openings, compared with 500 annual openings for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.

Industrial Engineer has the edge on projected growth

Industrial Engineer is at 12.4% projected growth, compared with 6.7% projected growth for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects.

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects has the edge on median pay

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is at $112,230, compared with $102,440 for Industrial Engineer.

77.1/ 100

Industrial Engineer

53.8/ 100

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Industrial Engineer vs Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

Dimension	Industrial Engineer	Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
Median pay (2025)	$102,440	$112,230
Pay percentile	84.5 percentile	88.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	12.4%	6.7%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	23,100	500
2025 employment	365,100	8,400
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Industrial Engineer brief Read Marine Engineers and Naval Architects brief

Industrial Engineer vs Marine Engineers and Naval Architects: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Industrial Engineer

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

How the national numbers differ

Industrial Engineer has the edge on annual openings

Industrial Engineer has the edge on projected growth

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects has the edge on median pay

Industrial Engineer vs Marine Engineers and Naval Architects

Try another comparison

Industrial Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer

Industrial Engineer vs Data Scientist

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects vs Mechanical Engineer

Marine Engineers and Naval Architects vs Electronics Engineers, Except Computer