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Job outlook for failure analysis engineers in the United States
Are failure analysis engineer jobs in demand?
Failure analysis engineer job and salary trends over time
Failure analysis engineer jobs over time
Failure analysis engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,399 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,389 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,412 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,362 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,301 | 0.00% |
Average failure analysis engineer salary over time
Failure analysis engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $91,071 | $43.78 | +1.1% |
| 2025 | $90,119 | $43.33 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $89,116 | $42.84 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $87,928 | $42.27 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $86,321 | $41.50 | +1.0% |
Failure analysis engineer jobs by state
Most common states for failure analysis engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 308 | 44% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,567 | 23% |
| 3 | California | 39,536,653 | 6,661 | 17% |
| 4 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,237 | 17% |
| 5 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 722 | 17% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 167 | 17% |
| 7 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,349 | 16% |
| 8 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 871 | 16% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 219 | 16% |
| 10 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 937 | 15% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 821 | 15% |
| 12 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 455 | 15% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,198 | 12% |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 830 | 12% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 433 | 12% |
| 16 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 91 | 12% |
| 17 | Vermont | 623,657 | 73 | 12% |
| 18 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 534 | 11% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 209 | 11% |
| 20 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 196 | 11% |
Most common cities for failure analysis engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain View | 3 | 4% | $120,342 |
| 2 | Cupertino | 2 | 3% | $120,245 |
| 3 | Newark | 1 | 2% | $120,418 |
| 4 | Severn | 1 | 2% | $85,556 |
| 5 | Sunnyvale | 2 | 1% | $120,301 |
| 6 | Clearwater | 1 | 1% | $83,853 |
| 7 | Folsom | 1 | 1% | $119,938 |
| 8 | Hawthorne | 1 | 1% | $109,201 |
| 9 | Huntsville | 1 | 1% | $79,548 |
| 10 | Largo | 1 | 1% | $83,830 |
| 11 | Milpitas | 1 | 1% | $120,252 |
| 12 | Westminster | 1 | 1% | $108,028 |
| 13 | San Jose | 5 | 0% | $120,061 |
| 14 | Phoenix | 2 | 0% | $94,338 |
| 15 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $86,284 |
| 16 | Irvine | 1 | 0% | $107,386 |
| 17 | Tucson | 1 | 0% | $93,321 |
Failure Analysis Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of failure analysis engineer experts
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Missouri University of Science & Technology
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Wichita State University
University of California
The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Georgia College and State University
Kimberly Henthorn
Department Head & Associate ProfessorRose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering
What soft skills should all Failure Analysis Engineers possess?
Kimberly Henthorn: Being good at the technical stuff is important, but being able to effectively communicate is just as critical. Both oral and written communication skills are necessary in order to explain to others what your work means. You also have to be able to work with a team; chemical engineers rarely work alone, so knowing how to work with people in other disciplines to get the job done is important.
Christi Patton Luks
Professor (NTT) and Associate Chair for Academic AffairsMissouri University of Science & Technology
Linda & Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering
What soft skills should all Failure Analysis Engineers possess?
Christi Patton Luks: Teamwork and communication skills are key! Everything is done with a team. You may be the expert on the process side of the project, but you need to have great communications with the mechanical team, the financial team, and those in operations. Everyone has a slightly different skill set and point of view, so it is critical that you make your concerns clear to the rest of the team, no matter their background. Another helpful soft skill is the ability to work with people from other cultures. Many companies are multinational, or their clients are in different countries. It can be tricky to set up a time to meet as a group when dealing with multiple time zones, but the cultural issues can also be daunting. The best way to build those skills is to get to know people of different backgrounds. A friend whose parents were born in Country X or has done a lot of travel can be incredibly helpful in warning you of cultural pitfalls.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Failure Analysis Engineers?
Christi Patton Luks: We teach a lot of facts and theories. All of those are useful, but really the ability to problem solve and pull together the different things you've learned is what makes the difference. When I worked in the industry, I may not have solved a differential equation, but I had solved enough problems in school that I could recognize when the patterns I was seeing in real life had the correct trends. If the trend wasn't what I expected, I got to dig deeper to figure out why. Curiosity and a desire to dig deeper to solve a problem really help.
What skills will help Failure Analysis Engineers earn the most?
Christi Patton Luks: Frankly, your GPA may be the biggest driver for your first job out of college. A high GPA gets a lot of attention, but you'll need work experience and activities to convert that into a job offer. If your GPA isn't great, then those extracurricular activities and internships will be what lands you that job. The key is to tell a story about what you got out of each of those experiences. When I was interviewing for my first job, I think I got more interest in the fact that I had helped to organize a local preliminary competition to Miss America than anything else. I hadn't competed! I had just organized the production of the show. I spent just a few weeks working on that project, but it was unusual and demonstrated leadership and organization, and teamwork.
What general advice would you give to a Failure Analysis Engineer?
Thomas Junk Ph.D.: While this may not exactly answer your question, it is very important to start making connections and to network WELL BEFORE graduation. Internships, volunteer work, membership in professional organizations, leadership activities all help to land a job after graduation. It is very important to continue networking as much as possible. The only true job security is the ability to find another job - it is truly liberating because it enables you to say "no" to your boss, if necessary. Also, I noticed that many graduates do not take advantage of all possible avenues to find employers. It is important to have a good web presence and to sign up on sites such as LinkedIn.
I also highly recommend cultivating ties to one's former institution and college friends. Often, job openings are filled by word of mouth: companies looking for somebody with a specific skill set ask around. A company contacted me for the name of somebody I could recommend for a specific job, but I came to find out that the contact information that I had of the person I wanted to recommend was no longer valid.
It is important to have specific career goals. Many recent graduates and fresh hires let their careers "drift" and have no idea where they want to be ten years from now. Also, always keep looking for jobs! Few jobs are so good that it is impossible to find a better one.
Dr. Atul Rai Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorWichita State University
School of Accountancy, Barton School of Business
What experience really stands out on Failure Analysis Engineer resumes?
Dr. Atul Rai Ph.D.: Employers are looking for people who can integrate in multi-disciplinary environments to solve complex problems. They are looking for resumes that show quick learning. Such resumes will permanently be in great demand. Because the world is interconnected much more than it ever was, employees today will deal with customers, supply-chains, and fellow employees who are spread all over the world. It means that an experience that showcases the global perspective will be in demand over the long-term.
What experience really stands out on Failure Analysis Engineer resumes?
Diran Apelian: Graduates who have never had industry experience are at a disadvantage. Those who stand out have taken risks and have exposed themselves to various engineering venues through summer jobs and various internships. Theory and practice stands out.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Failure Analysis Engineers?
Dr. Bradley Harris Ph.D.: "In terms of positive impact, I hope that students will graduate with a better sense of the information and technology available to them in the internet age. Faced with the loss of easy access to their professors and other campus resources, they've had to find reliable online sources, watch tutorials, and converse with students across the nation and globe in online communities.
I honestly believed that they would graduate with the same knowledge and skillset in terms of negative impact as in previous years. The legacy of getting a degree during a pandemic will likely be a lower GPA, which could be a factor in securing future employment. I've remarked often this year that the top 2% of students can succeed in any course format. The borderline B and C students have struggled, becoming more like marginal C and D students, due to the challenges posed by learning via hybrid and online modalities."
What experience really stands out on Failure Analysis Engineer resumes?
Peter Rosado: A while ago, I was a manager in cosmetics manufacturing before I became a professor and was in charge of hiring some new personnel, so I can attest that hiring managers are looking for candidates that are well rounded. That meaning, not just content knowledgeable, but candidates that can hold a conversation, interact with customers, clients, other peers. Knowledge about the world is also a plus. Our company would do business in many countries and also national companies. Every time I would see a resume from a candidate with these qualities, I would pay close attention to it. Being able to interact with others, have leadership skills, and follow-through is a big positive. Problem-solving skills are hopefully acquired by obtaining the chemistry degree, but these other soft skills are acquired by actually being involved in situations outside of the classroom/lab. I recommend aspiring candidates to be involved in local organizations that pertain to their fields, maybe hold officer positions, interact with the public, etc. I encourage them to be involved in their field of study rather than spectating it.