Chemical Engineer Salary
Average Chemical Engineer Salary
$89,449yearly
How much does a Chemical Engineer make?
Chemical engineers make $89,449 per year on average, or $43.0 per hour, in the United States. Chemical engineers on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $67,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $119,000.
Location impacts how much a chemical engineer can expect to make. Chemical engineers make the most in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Maryland.
Highest Paying States For Chemical Engineers
- State View
- County View
Chemical Engineer average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $95,065 | $45.70 | 1,084 |
| 2 | Texas | $112,047 | $53.87 | 1,513 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $108,353 | $52.09 | 154 |
| 4 | Maryland | $96,747 | $46.51 | 753 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $91,611 | $44.04 | 1,201 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $97,437 | $46.84 | 228 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $89,205 | $42.89 | 723 |
| 8 | Alabama | $85,023 | $40.88 | 440 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $85,729 | $41.22 | 863 |
| 10 | California | $90,079 | $43.31 | 4,706 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $101,222 | $48.66 | 133 |
| 12 | Washington | $88,310 | $42.46 | 831 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $100,566 | $48.35 | 134 |
| 14 | Vermont | $88,055 | $42.33 | 62 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $83,050 | $39.93 | 384 |
| 16 | Arizona | $82,511 | $39.67 | 658 |
| 17 | Iowa | $79,276 | $38.11 | 312 |
| 18 | Missouri | $85,671 | $41.19 | 392 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $84,652 | $40.70 | 363 |
| 20 | Michigan | $76,578 | $36.82 | 912 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $91,381 | $43.93 | 453 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $79,966 | $38.45 | 69 |
| 23 | Maine | $83,634 | $40.21 | 82 |
| 24 | Indiana | $76,815 | $36.93 | 628 |
| 25 | Oregon | $78,972 | $37.97 | 468 |
| 26 | Florida | $83,615 | $40.20 | 1,096 |
| 27 | Ohio | $76,044 | $36.56 | 864 |
| 28 | Idaho | $77,166 | $37.10 | 157 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $94,153 | $45.27 | 48 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $76,755 | $36.90 | 818 |
| 31 | Georgia | $76,323 | $36.69 | 795 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $74,666 | $35.90 | 274 |
| 33 | New York | $78,942 | $37.95 | 949 |
| 34 | Colorado | $74,305 | $35.72 | 681 |
| 35 | Nevada | $76,179 | $36.62 | 133 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $73,495 | $35.33 | 169 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $73,287 | $35.23 | 158 |
| 38 | Illinois | $75,255 | $36.18 | 977 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $73,672 | $35.42 | 169 |
| 40 | Delaware | $72,192 | $34.71 | 158 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $73,821 | $35.49 | 85 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $71,664 | $34.45 | 508 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $72,894 | $35.05 | 188 |
| 44 | Utah | $67,863 | $32.63 | 352 |
| 45 | Montana | $73,569 | $35.37 | 75 |
| 46 | Alaska | $72,944 | $35.07 | 49 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $72,971 | $35.08 | 76 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $66,906 | $32.17 | 326 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $60,501 | $29.09 | 41 |
| 50 | Kansas | $58,768 | $28.25 | 211 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $66,185 | $31.82 | 40 |
Highest Paying Cities For Chemical Engineers
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugar Land, TX | $114,407 | $55.00 |
| 2 | Baton Rouge, LA | $101,224 | $48.67 |
| 3 | Tulsa, OK | $99,406 | $47.79 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $97,482 | $46.87 |
| 5 | Reston, VA | $94,974 | $45.66 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA | $92,883 | $44.66 |
| 7 | Cambridge, MA | $91,698 | $44.09 |
| 8 | Newark, NJ | $91,372 | $43.93 |
| 9 | Saint Paul, MN | $89,253 | $42.91 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $85,973 | $41.33 |
| 11 | Kingsport, TN | $85,458 | $41.09 |
| 12 | Richland, WA | $85,420 | $41.07 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO | $84,702 | $40.72 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $79,096 | $38.03 |
| 15 | Akron, OH | $77,821 | $37.41 |
Chemical Engineers Salary Details
What is a Chemical Engineer's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $89,449 | $7,454 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest Paying Types of Chemical Engineers
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Engineer Internship | $39,495 | $3,291 | $18.99 | 87,030 |
| Research And Development Engineer | $100,169 | $8,347 | $48.16 | 187,910 |
| Product Development Engineer | $86,075 | $7,173 | $41.38 | 202,155 |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $78,522 | $6,543 | $37.75 | 115,384 |
| Production Engineer | $89,727 | $7,477 | $43.14 | 94,789 |
| Equipment Engineer | $97,539 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 108,449 |
How Would You Rate The Starting Salaries For Chemical Engineers, As Well As The Prospects For Salary Advancement?
Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Chemical Engineers are one of the highest-paid professionals out there. The median annual wage for chemical engineers is $108,770, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $66,810 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $176,090. The starting salary could be easily around 75k for a Chemical Engineering BS. See the following website BlsShow more
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Chemical Engineers The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BP America Inc | $126,928 | $61.02 | 4 |
| 2 | Shell | $124,074 | $59.65 | 27 |
| 3 | $120,864 | $58.11 | 23 | |
| 4 | Marathon Petroleum | $118,365 | $56.91 | 19 |
| 5 | Applied Materials | $116,274 | $55.90 | 185 |
| 6 | CITGO Petroleum | $116,216 | $55.87 | 9 |
| 7 | Chevron | $115,968 | $55.75 | 24 |
| 8 | Schlumberger | $114,051 | $54.83 | 14 |
| 9 | Genentech | $112,514 | $54.09 | 22 |
| 10 | Exxon Mobil | $110,118 | $52.94 | 13 |
| 11 | Primus Power | $109,991 | $52.88 | |
| 12 | Eli Lilly and Company | $109,898 | $52.84 | 10 |
| 13 | ConocoPhillips | $109,528 | $52.66 | |
| 14 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $108,324 | $52.08 | 11 |
| 15 | Seagate Technology | $108,234 | $52.04 | 3 |
| 16 | WEC Energy Group | $107,981 | $51.91 | 9 |
| 17 | Technip USA Corporation | $107,962 | $51.90 | |
| 18 | Baker Hughes | $107,865 | $51.86 | 22 |
| 19 | Battelle | $107,433 | $51.65 | 11 |
| 20 | Occidental Petroleum | $107,060 | $51.47 | 28 |
How Much Do Chemical Engineers Make In Different Industries?
Chemical engineer salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that the energy, technology, and pharmaceutical industries tend to offer much higher salaries for chemical engineers. For example, chemical engineers make a whopping average salary of $97,766 while working in the energy industry. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $97,162 in the technology industry and $95,061 in the pharmaceutical industry.
Chemical engineers may want to avoid working in the utilities industry as it offers the lowest average salary of $94,817.
Highest Paying Industries For Chemical Engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $97,766 | $47.00 |
| 2 | Technology | $97,162 | $46.71 |
| 3 | Pharmaceutical | $95,061 | $45.70 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $95,052 | $45.70 |
| 5 | Utilities | $94,817 | $45.59 |
High Paying Chemical Engineer Jobs
Chemical Engineer Pay Trends
Average Chemical Engineer Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chemical Engineer Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $89,400 | $43.00 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | $89,600 | $43.10 | +3.5% |
| 2021 | $86,500 | $41.57 | +2.6% |
| 2020 | $84,200 | $40.48 | +3.7% |
| 2019 | $81,000 | $38.96 | +1.0% |
Recently Added Chemical Engineer Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domtar | Engineering Coop-Paper Making/Chemical | Rothschild, WI | 11/30/2022 | $48,001 |
| Randstad Engineering | Chemical Engineer | Luling, LA | 11/29/2022 | $89,741 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Portland, OR | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Camas, WA | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Tuscola, IL | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Bernalillo, NM | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Hyattsville, MD | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Brenham, TX | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Hampton, VA | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
| Intel | College Graduate-Chemical Engineering (Bs/Ms/Phd) | Tempe, AZ | 11/28/2022 | $69,840 |
Chemical Engineer Salaries FAQs
What State Pays Chemical Engineers The Most?
Texas pays Chemical Engineers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $112,047 per year, or $53.87 per hour.
How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Chemical Engineer?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Chemical Engineer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Mexico you should be paid close to $108,353 per year.
What Type Of Chemical Engineer Gets Paid The Most?
Senior Process Engineer gets paid the most. Senior Process Engineer made a median salary of $105,378. The best-paid 10 percent make $119,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $92,000.
Do Chemical Engineers Get Paid Well?
Yes, chemical engineers get paid well. The average salary of a chemical engineer is $89,000 a year ($42.81 an hour). Some chemical engineers make upwards of $150,000 a year. Factors such as location and company impact how much a chemical or engineer can make.
What Is The Salary Of A Chemical Engineer?
The salary of a chemical engineer is $89,000 a year, on average. However, there is a considerable range in how much a chemical engineer can earn - starting from as little as $60,000 a year to as much as $116,000 a year. Factors such as years of experience, location, and industry can impact an engineer's salary.
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