Materials Engineers Salary: $134,642 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 22,770 materials engineers nationally earn a mean of $134,642. Employment in the series shown fell about 11% from the first to the last year; CA accounts for about 2,590 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $89,436 |
| 25th percentile | $108,963 |
| Median (50th) | $131,016 |
| 75th percentile | $157,271 |
| 90th percentile | $186,433 |
What education do you need?
For Materials 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 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 Workforce in 2023
The Materials Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Materials Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$134,642 Average Wage
In 2023, Materials Engineers earned an average of $134,642.
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.
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: 2,590 employees, $135,347 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Materials Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 950 employees, $128,872 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 480 employees, $159,716 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 350 employees, $142,094 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 230 employees, $124,237 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 210 employees, $126,281 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 80 employees, $109,826 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 80 employees, $130,657 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 70 employees, $143,329 avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 40 employees, $138,895 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 40 employees, $117,478 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 workforce of Materials Engineers in 2023 was 22,770 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Materials Engineers was $134,642 in 2023.
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.