How much do chemical engineers make?

Chemical Engineer salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Chemical Engineers (SOC 17-2041) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Chemical engineers in the US earned a median of $125,040 a year ($60.12 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $97,820 to $157,190.

Median annual pay: $125,040; Mean $129,980
Median hourly pay: $60.12; Mean $62.49
Typical range (10th–90th): $79.4K–$183K; $79,420 to $182,880
US jobs: 21,070; +4.7% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a chemical engineer: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: New Mexico

Chemical Engineer pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$79,420
25th percentile$97,820
Median$125,040
75th percentile$157,190
90th percentile$182,880

Half of all chemical engineers earned more than $125,040 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $79,420; the top 10% made over $182,880. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $97,820 to $157,190.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$79,420	$38.19	$6,618
25th	$97,820	$47.03	$8,152
Median (50th)	$125,040	$60.12	$10,420
75th	$157,190	$75.57	$13,099
90th	$182,880	$87.92	$15,240
Mean (average)	$129,980	$62.49	$10,832

Chemical Engineer salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for chemical engineers by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. New Mexico $158,190
2. Virginia $136,380
3. Alabama $135,030
4. Louisiana $134,800
5. Delaware $133,670

Lowest-paying states

41. New Hampshire $73,250
40. Utah $85,520
39. Wisconsin $97,660
38. Nebraska $98,310
37. South Carolina $101,570

Best after cost of living: New Mexico. Its median of $158,190 is worth about $171,550 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$135,030	3	$152,021	3	$64.92	600	0.28
Alaska	$106,080	30	$103,635	38	$51.00	—	—
Arizona	—	—	—	—	—	80	0.03
Arkansas	$105,270	31	$121,088	19	$50.61	290	0.23
California	—	—	—	—	—	2,190	0.12
Colorado	$125,800	14	$122,074	15	$60.48	720	0.25
Connecticut	$102,270	35	$98,707	39	$49.17	410	0.24
Delaware	$133,670	5	$133,927	10	$64.27	370	0.76
District of Columbia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Florida	$109,000	26	$105,402	36	$52.41	230	0.02
Georgia	$103,880	32	$107,879	34	$49.94	330	0.07
Hawaii	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Idaho	$106,740	28	$111,777	28	$51.32	140	0.16
Illinois	$121,560	15	$121,611	16	$58.44	520	0.09
Indiana	$113,160	23	$121,248	17	$54.41	720	0.23
Iowa	$117,590	17	$133,987	9	$56.54	40	0.03
Kansas	$102,020	36	$113,270	25	$49.05	280	0.20
Kentucky	$117,170	19	$129,959	11	$56.33	190	0.10
Louisiana	$134,800	4	$152,822	2	$64.81	730	0.38
Maine	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Maryland	$127,190	12	$121,181	18	$61.15	500	0.18
Massachusetts	$118,000	16	$111,577	29	$56.73	1,460	0.40
Michigan	$103,230	33	$107,289	35	$49.63	670	0.15
Minnesota	$107,670	27	$109,176	30	$51.77	210	0.07
Mississippi	$106,740	29	$122,756	14	$51.32	150	0.13
Missouri	$102,320	34	$112,666	27	$49.19	320	0.11
Montana	$127,490	11	$134,703	8	$61.29	80	0.16
Nebraska	$98,310	38	$109,108	31	$47.27	130	0.13
Nevada	—	—	—	—	—	110	0.07
New Hampshire	$73,250	41	$70,321	41	$35.22	40	0.06
New Jersey	$126,760	13	$116,502	24	$60.94	440	0.10
New Mexico	$158,190	1	$171,550	1	$76.05	160	0.18
New York	$129,060	8	$119,587	23	$62.05	540	0.06
North Carolina	$117,410	18	$124,473	13	$56.45	380	0.08
North Dakota	$115,400	22	$129,723	12	$55.48	80	0.18
Ohio	$111,200	25	$119,861	22	$53.46	1,030	0.18
Oklahoma	$127,790	10	$145,475	4	$61.44	110	0.06
Oregon	$116,950	21	$113,147	26	$56.23	140	0.07
Pennsylvania	$116,970	20	$119,881	21	$56.23	810	0.13
Rhode Island	$111,590	24	$109,102	32	$53.65	50	0.10
South Carolina	$101,570	37	$108,342	33	$48.83	390	0.17
South Dakota	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tennessee	—	—	—	—	—	480	0.15
Texas	$132,750	6	$136,775	6	$63.82	2,610	0.18
Utah	$85,520	40	$86,503	40	$41.11	—	—
Vermont	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Virginia	$136,380	2	$134,891	7	$65.57	790	0.19
Washington	$128,290	9	$119,883	20	$61.68	650	0.18
West Virginia	$129,210	7	$144,374	5	$62.12	160	0.22
Wisconsin	$97,660	39	$103,789	37	$46.95	110	0.04
Wyoming	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (10 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for chemical engineers

77 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Albuquerque, NM	$163,380	$170,996	80
Pittsburgh, PA	$152,290	$160,862	110
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	$139,220	$137,667	40
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	$138,120	$140,040	1,510
Mobile, AL	$137,170	$155,702	150
New Orleans-Metairie, LA	$136,870	$147,813	190
Lake Charles, LA	$136,810	$159,356	100
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$135,110	$130,946	40
Baton Rouge, LA	$134,800	$148,491	360
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$134,210	$118,178	320

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	1,510	$138,120	$140,040
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	910	$109,460	$101,103
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	790	$127,770	$124,588
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	670	—	—
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	640	$132,820	$121,983
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	620	—	—
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	510	$126,830	$112,675
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	410	$128,110	$121,108
Kansas City, MO-KS	380	$102,320	$110,565
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	370	$110,760	$106,916

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves chemical engineer pay: employers and settings

Industry is the biggest pay divider for chemical engineers. Chemical manufacturing employs the most, 21.6% of the total, at a median of $115,520. Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing pays a lower $106,140. Engineering design firms ($125,200) and research and development services ($124,540) sit near the overall median. Corporate offices pay $135,720. Machinery manufacturing pays the most of the large employers, at $162,500.

Employer type matters as well. Private employers pay a median of $125,130. The federal government pays a bit more, $133,050. State government, which includes public universities, pays far less at $66,230.

Location shifts pay too. New Mexico has the highest state median at $158,190, followed by Virginia at $136,380, Alabama at $135,030, Louisiana at $134,800, and Delaware at $133,670. The lowest are Wisconsin at $97,660, Utah at $85,520, and New Hampshire at $73,250. Most jobs are in Texas, California, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Overall pay runs from $79,420, the 10th percentile, to $182,880, the 90th. Where an engineer falls in that range depends on industry, location and level of responsibility; the percentiles are not experience levels. A PE license matters mainly for consulting and design work.

Where chemical engineers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)	21.6%	$115,520
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	11.9%	$125,200
Scientific Research and Development Services	9.5%	$124,540
Management of Companies and Enterprises	6.5%	$135,720
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	5.5%	$106,140
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	5.4%	$162,500

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	19,650	$125,130
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	910	$133,050
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	410	$66,230
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	110	$145,670

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Chemical Engineer pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$125K $97.4K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $97,360 in 2015 to $125,040 in 2025, up 28% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $131,611 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay fell 5% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What chemical engineers do

A chemical engineer works out how to turn a reaction that works in a flask into a process that runs safely, reliably and cheaply at the scale of tons per day. They size reactors, distillation columns, heat exchangers, pumps and dryers, set the temperatures and pressures a plant runs at, and design the controls that keep it there. The products range from fuels, plastics, fertilizers and detergents to drugs, food ingredients, battery materials and semiconductors.

The largest single employer group is chemical manufacturing, followed by engineering design firms and research and development labs. A process engineer at a plant spends much of the day at a desk with process data and simulation software, but walks the unit in a hard hat and goggles when something drifts out of spec. Research engineers run pilot plants and lab-scale tests. They work alongside chemists, plant operators, maintenance crews, mechanical and electrical engineers, and environmental and safety staff.

A typical day

Track temperatures, pressures, flow rates and product quality data from a running unit and chase down the cause when numbers drift
Model a process in simulation software to test a design change before anyone touches the plant
Size and specify equipment such as reactors, columns, heat exchangers and pumps for a new line or expansion
Review hazards with operators and safety staff and write the procedures for handling reactive or toxic materials
Run trials in the lab or a pilot plant to scale up a new product or recipe
Check that emissions, wastewater and permits stay within environmental rules
Estimate production costs and write progress reports for plant management

Also called: chemical engineering, development engineer, engineer, engineering scientist, process control engineer, process engineer, project engineer, refinery process engineer.

How to become a chemical engineer

Full guide

To become a chemical engineer, you earn a 4-year bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, ideally from an ABET-accredited program, and start work as an entry-level process or design engineer. A Professional Engineer (PE) license is optional for most jobs; it takes the FE exam, about 4 years of experience and the PE Chemical exam.

Typical time: 4-5 years (degree, often with co-op or internships); Fastest: 4 years (entry-level job)
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering (ABET-accredited preferred)
License: Not required for most chemical engineering jobs; a PE license from a state board is required to sign off on engineering work offered to the public
Typical training cost: $50.4K–$62.9K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a chemical engineer: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 4-5 years (degree, often with co-op or internships); Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $50.4K–$62.9K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $125,040; $74,060 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 40–50%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($74,060 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (4-5 years (degree, often with co-op or internships) in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for chemical engineers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +4.7%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 21,900; 22,900 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 1,100; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 2.4%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects chemical engineering jobs to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035, from 21,900 to 22,900, a bit faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. Hiring follows demand for the products these engineers help make, so it rises and falls with manufacturing. Work on alternative fertilizers and other sustainability projects, plus processes that have to meet changing regulations, should keep demand steady. About 1,100 openings are expected each year, mostly to replace engineers who retire or leave for other work.

Related careers and their pay

Mechanical Engineer$104,110
Materials Engineers$112,860
Industrial Engineers$102,440
Materials Scientists$117,790
Chemists$91,240

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Chemical Engineer salary FAQ

How much do chemical engineers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for chemical engineers was $60.12 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38.19 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $87.92. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays chemical engineers the most?

New Mexico has the highest median pay for chemical engineers, $158,190 a year, followed by Virginia ($136,380) and Alabama ($135,030). After adjusting for each state's price level, New Mexico comes out ahead at about $171,550 in national-average dollars.

Do chemical engineers make $200,000 a year?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of chemical engineers earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $125,040, and the top 10% earn more than $182,880. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What industries hire chemical engineers?

Chemical manufacturing is the largest, with 21.6% of chemical engineers. Engineering design firms employ 11.9% and research and development services 9.5%. Others work at corporate headquarters, in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, in machinery manufacturing, and for the federal government. Outside those, chemical engineers work in oil refining, food and beverage processing, semiconductors, paper, and water treatment.

What is the difference between a chemist and a chemical engineer?

A chemist studies substances and reactions, usually in a lab, to discover what happens and why. A chemical engineer takes that chemistry and designs the equipment and process to make the product in large quantities, safely and at a cost that makes sense. Chemical engineering degrees add fluid flow, heat transfer, thermodynamics, reactor design and process control to the chemistry, and the work is often based at a plant.

Do chemical engineers work in plants or offices?

Both, depending on the role. Process engineers at a manufacturing site split their time between a desk and the production floor, and may get called in when a unit has trouble. Design engineers at engineering firms work mostly in offices, with visits to client sites. Research engineers spend more time in labs and pilot plants. Plant roles involve hard hats, goggles and other protective gear, and some weeks run longer than 40 hours.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 17-2041
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (17-2041.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Chemical Engineers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
FE Exam, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying · checked October 28, 2026
PE Chemical Exam, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying · checked October 28, 2026
What Programs Does ABET Accredit?, ABET · checked October 28, 2026
Licensure, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026

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