Start with the answer
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Marine Engineers and Naval Architects is $112,230 per year in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. It is $159,700 per year in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is 29.7% below Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 17-2121 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 250 wage and salary jobs in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ and 710 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.