Materials Engineers Salary: $108,310 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 22,770 materials engineers work nationally, and $108,310 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 11% from the first to the last year; much hiring sits in manufacturing.
Materials Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about materials engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a materials engineers?
Materials Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2131.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 22,770 workers.
What does a materials engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Analyzing Data or Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a materials engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $108,310 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $134,642 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $89,436 |
| 25th percentile | $108,963 |
| Median (50th) | $131,016 |
| 75th percentile | $157,271 |
| 90th percentile | $186,433 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Complex Problem Solving, Science, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Chemistry, Physics, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is materials engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -0.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -0.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 22,770.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do materials engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 22,770 | 18.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 20,840 | 17.2% |
| Manufacturing | 11,970 | 9.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5,590 | 4.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5,590 | 4.6% |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 3,980 | 3.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Materials Engineers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineers | 355,410 | $99,590 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Electrical Engineers | 188,790 | $111,910 |
| Aerospace Engineers | 68,440 | $134,830 |
| Software Developers | 1,654,440 | $133,080 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Materials Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
22,770 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Materials Engineers shrank from 10,760 in 2009 to 10,700 in 2025 (0.6%).
Historical employment for Materials Engineers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$108,310 Median pay (BLS national)
Materials Engineers earn $108,310 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Materials Engineers.
Salary distribution for Materials Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,681 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -0.2%
10,662 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -0.3%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Materials Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Materials Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Materials Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Materials Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Materials Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Materials 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:
- CA: 2,760 employees, $131,080 avg wage
- OH: 1,770 employees, $111,720 avg wage
- TX: 1,730 employees, $125,990 avg wage
- WA: 1,240 employees, $148,500 avg wage
- MA: 1,060 employees, $117,950 avg wage
- MI: 1,030 employees, $97,930 avg wage
- MD: 960 employees, $130,650 avg wage
- PA: 780 employees, $97,460 avg wage
- NC: 770 employees, $101,650 avg wage
- NY: 750 employees, $121,440 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Materials Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,160 employees, $125,000 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 1,100 employees, $152,420 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 780 employees, $119,210 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 760 employees, $136,510 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 670 employees, $130,420 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 540 employees, $101,570 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 480 employees, $155,490 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 440 employees, $154,940 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 420 employees, $138,470 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 420 employees, $107,230 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Materials Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Materials Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Materials Engineers is about 22,770 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Materials 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 Materials Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Materials Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Materials Engineers in 2023 were Materials Engineering, Engineering, Chemistry.
Common majors for Materials Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Materials Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Materials Engineers.
Skills
Materials Engineers need many skills, but most especially Complex Problem Solving, Science, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Materials Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Materials Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Materials Engineers include Engineering and Technology, Chemistry, Physics, Production and Processing, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for Materials Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Materials Engineers include Inductive Reasoning, Oral Expression, Category Flexibility, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Materials Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Materials Engineers.
Daily Activities
Materials Engineers spend their time on activities such as Analyzing Data or Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Materials Engineers.
About
Materials Engineers
Materials Engineers earn $108,310 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
17-2131 - Materials Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Materials Engineers reports an average salary of $134,642, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 22,770 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.0%, 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.