Chemistry Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Chemistry maps to BLS occupations averaging about $162,329, with roughly 16,330 workers nationwide in those roles. About 27,177 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 57%.
Key Statistics
Chemistry: what the data shows
Common questions about chemistry degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a chemistry degree?
A Chemistry program is classified under NCES CIP 40.4005 in the 40.0040 field family (40.40).
IPEDS counted 27,177 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a chemistry degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 40.4005 in our file:
- 4,944 Associate (12.5% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 27,177 Bachelor's (68.5% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 7,439 Master's (18.8% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 89 Doctorate (0.2% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in chemistry?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Complex Problem Solving, Science, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Writing, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Materials Engineers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 40.4005, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a chemistry degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Chemistry to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Materials Engineers | 22,770 | $108,310 |
| Physician Assistants | 155,540 | $133,260 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a chemistry degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $8,179 and median net price is $17,999.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Chemistry and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,179 Median In-State Public
$39,340 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Chemistry majors are, on average, $8,179 for in-state public colleges, and $39,340 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Chemistry programs.
Institutions awarding the most Chemistry degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | 581 |
| 2 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | 505 |
| 3 | University of California-San Diego | CA | 499 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | 467 |
| 5 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | 460 |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | 443 |
| 7 | University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | 423 |
| 8 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | 392 |
| 9 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | 389 |
| 10 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 383 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
27,177 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Chemistry from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Chemistry.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 68,619 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 4 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,095 |
| 5 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 54,926 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Chemistry programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | Chabot College | CA | $1,150 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Chemistry programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $10 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 3 | Henry Ford College | MI | $576 |
| 4 | Oxnard College | CA | $659 |
| 5 | Cerritos College | CA | $693 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Chemistry programs.
Graduation Rates
56.64% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
54.99% Average Graduation Rate
199 Institutions Reporting
44.28% - 68.23% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Chemistry programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Chemistry is in CA (3,326 completions). That state represents about 12.2% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is WA (1.20% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 3,326 | 12.2% | 0.74% |
| NY | 1,973 | 7.3% | 0.72% |
| PA | 1,679 | 6.2% | 0.98% |
| TX | 1,475 | 5.4% | 0.50% |
| MA | 1,110 | 4.1% | 0.87% |
| NC | 1,047 | 3.9% | 0.85% |
| FL | 1,045 | 3.9% | 0.46% |
| VA | 1,011 | 3.7% | 0.82% |
| IL | 1,002 | 3.7% | 0.72% |
| OH | 890 | 3.3% | 0.64% |
| GA | 844 | 3.1% | 0.74% |
| WA | 828 | 3.0% | 1.20% |
| MI | 709 | 2.6% | 0.62% |
| IN | 659 | 2.4% | 0.64% |
| MN | 576 | 2.1% | 0.68% |
| WI | 558 | 2.0% | 0.73% |
| MD | 533 | 2.0% | 0.72% |
| CO | 529 | 1.9% | 0.74% |
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 40.4005 in the survey year used in our extract (39,649 total across levels below).
- 4,944 Associate (12.5% of IPEDS total)
- 27,177 Bachelor's (68.5% of IPEDS total)
- 7,439 Master's (18.8% of IPEDS total)
- 89 Doctorate (0.2% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $162,329. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Chemistry graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Materials Engineers | $134,642 | 22,770 |
| Physician Assistants | $166,382 | 155,540 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$161,017 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Chemistry majors is $161,017.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Chemistry majors.
Occupations by Share
16,330 2023 Workforce
The number of Chemistry graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Chemistry by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Chemistry in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Chemistry.
Age distribution for Chemistry degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
27,177 Total Degrees Awarded
14,754 Male (54.29%)
12,423 Female (45.71%)
Gender distribution of Chemistry degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
15,459 White (56.88%)
3,751 Hispanic or Latino (13.80%)
2,818 Asian (10.37%)
1,318 Two or More Races (4.85%)
1,304 Black or African American (4.80%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Chemistry degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Chemistry are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Chemistry.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Chemistry field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Chemistry majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Chemistry majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Chemistry majors.
About
Chemistry
In 2023, 27,177 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Chemistry.
CIP Code
40.4005 - Chemistry
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $162,329. The largest mapped role by headcount is Materials Engineers (22,770 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $8,179 in-state at public colleges and $39,340 at private institutions for programs in this field.
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 U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.