Maritime Officer.
Raleigh.
$81,000
median salary, 1% below the national average
$61,000 to $107,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
Raleigh is 1% cheaper than the national average. For Maritime Officers, that shakes out to a median of $81,000, with the full range spanning $61,000 to $107,000. Vessel type, license grade, and trade route determine compensation. Know the range before you walk in.
Salary range
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How Raleigh compares
Raleigh, NC
$81,000
Cost of living: 1% below average
National Average
$82,000
Raleigh is $1,000 below
What you should know
The Maritime Officer landscape in Raleigh is not what most salary sites will tell you. Raleigh sits at the heart of the Research Triangle, one of America's premier tech and life sciences corridors. Cisco, Red Hat, Epic Games, and numerous biotech firms drive strong demand for engineering, research, and product roles. The combination of top tier universities and moderate living costs creates an exceptionally favorable salary to expense ratio. Vessel type, license grade, and trade route determine compensation. Officers on tankers and LNG carriers earn premiums over general cargo ships. Deep-sea international routes pay more than coastal or inland assignments, and unionized positions typically offer stronger wage scales.
Third mates and third engineers start at $55,000 to $62,000. Second officers advance to $70,000 to $85,000 with experience and additional endorsements. Chief mates earn $90,000 to $108,000, while masters and chief engineers on large vessels can reach $120,000 to $160,000. In Raleigh, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Maritime officers receive room and board while aboard, which effectively increases total compensation by $15,000 to $25,000 annually. Union contracts often include pension contributions, medical coverage, and paid leave rotations of equal time on and off. And on the tax side: north Carolina's flat 4.5% income tax keeps the burden low. Raleigh has no city income tax, and the Triangle's affordable housing amplifies your take home purchasing power. When someone quotes you $81,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Cite Research Triangle talent competition in your negotiation. Employers here compete directly with each other and with remote offers, creating favorable leverage for candidates. The range for Maritime Officers in Raleigh runs from $61,000 to $107,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Top industries in Raleigh
Negotiating in Raleigh
Cite Research Triangle talent competition in your negotiation. Employers here compete directly with each other and with remote offers, creating favorable leverage for candidates.