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Average chemical engineering major salary
Updated September 14, 2023
$68,316

What is the average chemical engineering major salary in the US?

The national average salary for a chemical engineering major graduate in the United States is $68,316 per year or $32.84 per hour.While the top 10 percent make over $118,000 per year, the bottom 10 percent make under $39,000.technology companies and professional companies have the most job opportunities for chemical engineering major graduates.California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, and Maryland are some of the states with the best salaries for chemical engineering major graduates in the US.
Best paying cities
$84,123
$75,131
$73,104

Average chemical engineering salary by company

If you are a chemical engineering major graduate, you can expect good job security. However, keep in mind that some industries pay better than others.The most abundant employment opportunities for chemical engineering majors are in technology companies and professional companies.Meta and Google are the highest paying companies.In addition, companies like Apple and Novartis report highly competitive salaries for chemical engineering major graduates.

Average chemical engineering major salary by city

Across America, chemical engineering major graduates make on average $68,316 annually or $32.84 hourly.The city with the highest salaries for chemical engineering major graduates is San Francisco, CA at $84,123 per year.The average entry-level salary in San Francisco, CA is $45,000.Other cities that offer high paying job opportunities for chemical engineering majors are Boston, MA, Des Moines, WA, Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD, Hartford, CT, and New York, NY.Some of the states with the best salaries for chemical engineering majors are California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, Maryland, Connecticut, and New York.On the other hand, Arkansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota report the lowest wages for chemical engineering major graduates.

Average salary by location

RankCityAverage chemical engineering salarySalary range
1San Francisco, CA
$84,123
$45k
$115k
2Boston, MA
$75,131
$45k
$115k
3Des Moines, WA
$73,104
$45k
$115k
4Washington, DC
$71,319
$45k
$115k
5Baltimore, MD
$70,979
$45k
$115k
6Hartford, CT
$70,434
$45k
$115k
7New York, NY
$69,732
$45k
$115k
8Providence, RI
$68,214
$45k
$115k
9Arlington, VA
$68,152
$45k
$115k
10Portland, OR
$67,837
$45k
$115k
11Phoenix, AZ
$67,084
$45k
$115k
12Portland, ME
$66,749
$45k
$115k
13Philadelphia, PA
$66,373
$45k
$115k
14San Antonio, TX
$66,208
$45k
$115k
15Chicago, IL
$65,345
$45k
$115k
16Washington, MI
$63,691
$45k
$115k
17Denver, CO
$62,733
$45k
$115k
18Minneapolis, MN
$62,545
$45k
$115k
19Raleigh, NC
$61,539
$45k
$115k
20Columbus, OH
$60,380
$45k
$115k

Average chemical engineering major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where chemical engineering majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Chemical engineering major average salary by state

StateAverage chemical engineering major salaryAverage hourly rate
California$79,639$38.29
Massachusetts$75,142$36.13
New Jersey$73,441$35.31
Washington$72,658$34.93
Maryland$70,674$33.98
Connecticut$70,447$33.87
New York$69,577$33.45
New Mexico$68,661$33.01
Delaware$68,597$32.98
Rhode Island$68,230$32.80
Oregon$68,142$32.76
Alaska$68,004$32.69
Virginia$67,312$32.36
New Hampshire$66,974$32.20
Arizona$66,972$32.20
Nevada$66,720$32.08
Idaho$66,337$31.89
Maine$66,175$31.81
Pennsylvania$65,833$31.65
Texas$65,398$31.44
Illinois$65,191$31.34
Louisiana$64,148$30.84
Hawaii$63,845$30.69
Michigan$63,401$30.48
Vermont$63,108$30.34
Colorado$62,850$30.22
Minnesota$62,483$30.04
West Virginia$62,446$30.02
North Carolina$60,812$29.24
Ohio$60,671$29.17
North Dakota$60,188$28.94
Oklahoma$59,957$28.83
Georgia$59,719$28.71
Wisconsin$59,513$28.61
Montana$59,441$28.58
Tennessee$59,287$28.50
Indiana$59,239$28.48
Wyoming$58,801$28.27
Utah$58,731$28.24
Alabama$58,533$28.14
Florida$58,378$28.07
South Carolina$58,307$28.03
Mississippi$57,797$27.79
Missouri$57,779$27.78
Arkansas$57,071$27.44
Kentucky$56,994$27.40
Iowa$56,812$27.31
Kansas$55,865$26.86
South Dakota$55,767$26.81
Nebraska$55,631$26.75

Average chemical engineering major salary by industry

Wages for chemical engineering major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our analysis shows that technology companies, construction companies, and energy companies pay higher-than-average wages for chemical engineering major graduates.technology companies pay chemical engineering major graduates an average salary of $77,199, construction companies pay $76,843, and energy companies come in at $71,616.At $40,410, the average salary for chemical engineering majors in the education industry is lower than other industries.

Average salary by industry

RankIndustryAverage chemical engineering major salaryRange
1
Technology
$77,199
$32k
$96k
2
Construction
$76,843
$32k
$96k
3
Energy
$71,616
$32k
$96k
4
Manufacturing
$70,190
$32k
$96k
5
Automotive
$69,845
$32k
$96k
6
Professional
$56,075
$32k
$96k
7
Telecommunication
$51,296
$32k
$96k
8
Health Care
$48,841
$32k
$96k
9
Government
$47,530
$32k
$96k
10
Hospitality
$43,261
$32k
$96k
11
Education
$40,410
$32k
$96k

Salary history for chemical engineering major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Chemical Engineering major graduates.

Chemical engineering major salary by experience level

Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level

The salary for a chemical engineering major graduate can range from $65,307 to $118,901 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.
Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level average salary by experience level$65,300$31.40
Mid-level average salary by experience level$83,600$40.18
Senior-level average salary by experience level$119,000$57.16

Salaries for related majors

RankMajorAverage salaryRange
1Systems Engineering
$92,720
$41k
$114k
2Manufacturing Engineering
$86,102
$41k
$114k
3Petroleum Engineering
$85,578
$41k
$114k
4Plastics Engineering
$85,097
$41k
$114k
5Engineering
$84,098
$41k
$114k
6Operations Research
$82,068
$41k
$114k
7Mining Engineering
$81,856
$41k
$114k
8Aerospace Engineering
$80,340
$41k
$114k
9Computer Engineering
$79,862
$41k
$114k
10Industrial Engineering
$79,503
$41k
$114k
11Mechanical Engineering
$75,070
$41k
$114k
12Electrical Engineering
$75,040
$41k
$114k
13Biological Engineering
$72,923
$41k
$114k
14Engineering Science
$72,902
$41k
$114k
15Civil Engineering
$72,245
$41k
$114k
16Materials Science And Engineering
$70,247
$41k
$114k
17Environmental Engineering
$70,158
$41k
$114k
18Mechatronics And Robotics
$69,788
$41k
$114k
19Architectural Engineering
$65,064
$41k
$114k
20Biomedical Engineering
$55,912
$41k
$114k