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Best states for a chemical engineer
Quoted expert
Kristine Horvat Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to chemical engineer jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for chemical engineer jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for chemical engineers. Virginia is the best state for chemical engineers, where the median salary is $95,065.We found that Virginia is the best state for chemical engineer jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.
10 best states for chemical engineers in 2025
1. Virginia
Total chemical engineer jobs: 1,084 Average annual salary: $95,065 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 1.222. Texas
Total chemical engineer jobs: 1,513 Average annual salary: $112,047 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.793. New Mexico
Total chemical engineer jobs: 154 Average annual salary: $108,353 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.834. Maryland
Total chemical engineer jobs: 753 Average annual salary: $96,747 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 1.265. Massachusetts
Total chemical engineer jobs: 1,201 Average annual salary: $91,611 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 1.396. District of Columbia
Total chemical engineer jobs: 228 Average annual salary: $97,437 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 1.447. Minnesota
Total chemical engineer jobs: 723 Average annual salary: $89,205 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.158. Alabama
Total chemical engineer jobs: 440 Average annual salary: $85,023 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 1.069. North Carolina
Total chemical engineer jobs: 863 Average annual salary: $85,729 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.9510. California
Total chemical engineer jobs: 4,706 Average annual salary: $90,079 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 1.71
Chemical engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chemical engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chemical engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $95,065 | $67,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,084 |
| 2 | Texas | $112,047 | $80,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,513 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $108,353 | $76,000 | 2,088,070 | 154 |
| 4 | Maryland | $96,747 | $68,000 | 6,052,177 | 753 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $91,611 | $63,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,201 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $97,437 | $68,000 | 693,972 | 228 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $89,205 | $61,000 | 5,576,606 | 723 |
| 8 | Alabama | $85,023 | $61,000 | 4,874,747 | 440 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $85,729 | $62,000 | 10,273,419 | 863 |
| 10 | California | $90,079 | $63,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,706 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $101,222 | $72,000 | 3,930,864 | 133 |
| 12 | Washington | $88,310 | $62,000 | 7,405,743 | 831 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $100,566 | $73,000 | 4,684,333 | 134 |
| 14 | Vermont | $88,055 | $60,000 | 623,657 | 62 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $83,050 | $60,000 | 5,024,369 | 384 |
| 16 | Arizona | $82,511 | $58,000 | 7,016,270 | 658 |
| 17 | Iowa | $79,276 | $55,000 | 3,145,711 | 312 |
| 18 | Missouri | $85,671 | $60,000 | 6,113,532 | 392 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $84,652 | $60,000 | 6,715,984 | 363 |
| 20 | Michigan | $76,578 | $53,000 | 9,962,311 | 912 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $91,381 | $64,000 | 9,005,644 | 453 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $79,966 | $56,000 | 755,393 | 69 |
| 23 | Maine | $83,634 | $57,000 | 1,335,907 | 82 |
| 24 | Indiana | $76,815 | $54,000 | 6,666,818 | 628 |
| 25 | Oregon | $78,972 | $55,000 | 4,142,776 | 468 |
| 26 | Florida | $83,615 | $64,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,096 |
| 27 | Ohio | $76,044 | $53,000 | 11,658,609 | 864 |
| 28 | Idaho | $77,166 | $54,000 | 1,716,943 | 157 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $94,153 | $78,000 | 1,427,538 | 48 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $76,755 | $53,000 | 12,805,537 | 818 |
| 31 | Georgia | $76,323 | $55,000 | 10,429,379 | 795 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $74,666 | $53,000 | 4,454,189 | 274 |
| 33 | New York | $78,942 | $55,000 | 19,849,399 | 949 |
| 34 | Colorado | $74,305 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 681 |
| 35 | Nevada | $76,179 | $53,000 | 2,998,039 | 133 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $73,495 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 169 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $73,287 | $53,000 | 2,984,100 | 158 |
| 38 | Illinois | $75,255 | $52,000 | 12,802,023 | 977 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $73,672 | $51,000 | 1,920,076 | 169 |
| 40 | Delaware | $72,192 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 158 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $73,821 | $52,000 | 1,815,857 | 85 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $71,664 | $49,000 | 5,795,483 | 508 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $72,894 | $52,000 | 3,004,279 | 188 |
| 44 | Utah | $67,863 | $47,000 | 3,101,833 | 352 |
| 45 | Montana | $73,569 | $51,000 | 1,050,493 | 75 |
| 46 | Alaska | $72,944 | $60,000 | 739,795 | 49 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $72,971 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 76 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $66,906 | $46,000 | 3,588,184 | 326 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $60,501 | $42,000 | 579,315 | 41 |
| 50 | Kansas | $58,768 | $41,000 | 2,913,123 | 211 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $66,185 | $46,000 | 869,666 | 40 |
Highest paying states for chemical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Chemical Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $95,065 |
| 2 | Texas | $112,047 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $108,353 |
| 4 | Maryland | $96,747 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $91,611 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $97,437 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $89,205 |
| 8 | Alabama | $85,023 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $85,729 |
| 10 | California | $90,079 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $101,222 |
| 12 | Washington | $88,310 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $100,566 |
| 14 | Vermont | $88,055 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $83,050 |
| 16 | Arizona | $82,511 |
| 17 | Iowa | $79,276 |
| 18 | Missouri | $85,671 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $84,652 |
| 20 | Michigan | $76,578 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $91,381 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $79,966 |
| 23 | Maine | $83,634 |
| 24 | Indiana | $76,815 |
| 25 | Oregon | $78,972 |
| 26 | Florida | $83,615 |
| 27 | Ohio | $76,044 |
| 28 | Idaho | $77,166 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $94,153 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $76,755 |
| 31 | Georgia | $76,323 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $74,666 |
| 33 | New York | $78,942 |
| 34 | Colorado | $74,305 |
| 35 | Nevada | $76,179 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $73,495 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $73,287 |
| 38 | Illinois | $75,255 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $73,672 |
| 40 | Delaware | $72,192 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $73,821 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $71,664 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $72,894 |
| 44 | Utah | $67,863 |
| 45 | Montana | $73,569 |
| 46 | Alaska | $72,944 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $72,971 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $66,906 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $60,501 |
| 50 | Kansas | $58,768 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $66,185 |
Expert opinions on the best states for chemical engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for chemical engineers to find work opportunities?
Kristine Horvat Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, University of New Haven
One of the best parts of being a chemical engineer is that you can work in a large variety of fields. Most industries, including fuels, food, consumer products, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, materials, electronics, environmental service, and general chemicals, need chemical engineers. As a result, there are many locations all over the U.S., where graduates can find jobs.
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Updated January 8, 2025