Chemical Engineers
Chemical Engineers is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Chemical Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,260 Workforce in 2023
The Chemical Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Chemical Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$nan Average Wage
In 2023, Chemical Engineers earned an average of $nan.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Chemical Engineers.
Salary distribution for Chemical Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
4,642 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -3.3%
4,490 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -6.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Chemical Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Chemical Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Chemical Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Chemical Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
73.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 4.6% growth (Current: $231,096)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Chemical Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Chemical Engineers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 1,140 employees, $125,758 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Chemical Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 220 employees, $135,002 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 200 employees, $214,988 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 150 employees, N/A avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 150 employees, $231,096 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 110 employees, N/A avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 80 employees, $155,453 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 80 employees, $131,685 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 70 employees, $154,909 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 40 employees, N/A avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 20 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Chemical Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Chemical Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Chemical Engineers in 2023 was 1,260 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Chemical Engineers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Chemical Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Chemical Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Chemical Engineers in 2023 were Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Engineering.
Common majors for Chemical Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Chemical Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Chemical Engineers.
Skills
Chemical Engineers need many skills, but most especially Science, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Mathematics, Systems Analysis.
Required skills for Chemical Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Chemical Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Chemical Engineers include Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Production and Processing.
Knowledge areas required for Chemical Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Chemical Engineers include Written Comprehension, Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Deductive Reasoning, Mathematical Reasoning.
Required abilities for Chemical Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Chemical Engineers.
Daily Activities
Chemical Engineers spend their time on activities such as Processing Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Chemical Engineers.
About
Chemical Engineers
The average yearly wage for Chemical Engineers was $nan in 2023.
SOC Code
17-2041 - Chemical Engineers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Chemical Engineers reports an average salary of $nan.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,260 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.