Chemical Engineers Salary: $nan Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 20,330 chemical engineers nationally earn a mean of $nan. Employment in the series shown fell about 19% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 0.7% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Chemical Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about chemical engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a chemical engineers?
Chemical Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 20,330 workers.
What does a chemical engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Processing Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a chemical engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $121,860 (May 2024 in our extract).
What education do you need?
For Chemical Engineers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Science, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Mathematics, Systems Analysis, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is chemical engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -3.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -6.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 20,330.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do chemical engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 20,330 | 19.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 18,920 | 18.2% |
| Manufacturing | 10,020 | 9.6% |
| Chemical Manufacturing | 5,920 | 5.7% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5,360 | 5.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5,360 | 5.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Chemical Engineers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Chemical Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
20,330 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.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 2,780 employees, $148,690 avg wage
- CA: 1,260 employees, N/A avg wage
- MA: 1,140 employees, $125,220 avg wage
- OH: 1,100 employees, $117,440 avg wage
- VA: 1,020 employees, $139,270 avg wage
- PA: 970 employees, $119,510 avg wage
- CO: 850 employees, $124,540 avg wage
- LA: 780 employees, $139,380 avg wage
- MI: 780 employees, $110,100 avg wage
- WA: 600 employees, $136,270 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Chemical Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,800 employees, $157,790 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 870 employees, $132,200 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 850 employees, $124,580 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 750 employees, $127,540 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 580 employees, $123,790 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 550 employees, $127,800 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 370 employees, N/A avg wage
- Baton Rouge, LA: 370 employees, $141,690 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 360 employees, $120,380 avg wage
- Kansas City, MO-KS: 360 employees, $114,120 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 20,330 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 20,330 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.