How much does a material engineer make?

The average material engineer salary in the United States is $86,258. Material engineer salaries typically range between $65,000 and $113,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for material engineers is $41.47 per hour. Material engineer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Material engineers earn the highest average salary in New Hampshire.

Material engineer salary

Q: What state pays Material Engineers the most?

New Hampshire pays Material Engineers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $101,534 per year, or $48.81 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a material engineer?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a material engineer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Massachusetts you should be paid close to $99,857 per year.

Q: Do materials engineers make a lot of money?

Yes, material engineers make a lot of money. Granted, this depends largely on the level of experience, location, and industry you work for. The average materials engineers make $82,000 a year ($39.55 an hour), and this can range from as little as $60,000 to as much as $164,000 a year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for an engineer?

A good starting salary for an engineer is $58,000 or more. That's the average starting salary for entry-level positions. As most jobs go, location, industry, and experience affect pay. You may be paid more for an entry-level position in Fremont, California, where they are most in demand. You might be paid more in San Francisco, where quality engineers have the highest annual average wage in the United States. Technology is the highest paid, so entry-level positions for technological companies might be than those offered to other industries like automotive.

Q: Which type of engineering has the highest salary?

The type of engineering dealing with data or fossil fuels earns the highest salaries. For example, the average big data engineer earns $155,000 a year compared to the average salary for an engineer, which is $74,960 a year.

Quoted expert

Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.

Average material engineer salary

$86,258

$41.47 hourly rate

Entry-level material engineer salary

$65,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Material Engineer Salary

The average salary for a Material Engineer stands at $86,258 annually, which translates to approximately $41 per hour. This figure can vary significantly based on experience, location, and industry sector. For instance, entry-level engineers may start around $60,000, while those with over ten years of experience can earn upwards of $100,000.

Highest Paying States

States such as California, Texas, and New York consistently rank among the highest for Material Engineer salaries. In California, the average salary can reach approximately $95,000, reflecting the high demand for engineers in tech-driven industries.

Opportunities for Advancement

Material Engineers can enhance their earning potential by pursuing specialized certifications or advanced degrees. Roles in research and development or management often command higher salaries, providing pathways for career growth. Additionally, staying updated on industry trends and technologies can position engineers favorably in the job market.

On this page

Material engineer salary by:

Let Zippia find your next material engineer job

Let Zippia find your next material engineer job

Where can a Material Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location

121k

101k

81k

61k

41k

Columbus, OH$101,167

Kansas City, MO$70,754

Compare salary by company

166k

146k

126k

106k

86k

66k

Apple$136,874

Eastman$95,978

Material engineer salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level material engineer	$92,100	$44.30
Mid-level material engineer	$106,000	$51.04
Senior-level material engineer	$120,000	$57.77

Average material engineer salary by state

The highest-paying states for material engineers are New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. The lowest average material engineer salary states are Wisconsin, Indiana, and Missouri.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for material engineers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Hampshire	$101,534	$48.81
2	Massachusetts	$99,857	$48.01
3	Minnesota	$92,615	$44.53
4	Arizona	$92,217	$44.34
5	Maryland	$95,384	$45.86
6	Washington	$94,154	$45.27
7	Oregon	$92,390	$44.42
8	Vermont	$95,883	$46.10
9	California	$94,311	$45.34
10	Maine	$97,549	$46.90
11	New Mexico	$94,540	$45.45
12	Colorado	$91,949	$44.21
13	North Dakota	$91,603	$44.04
14	Virginia	$89,231	$42.90
15	Connecticut	$89,378	$42.97
16	New York	$91,685	$44.08
17	Texas	$86,820	$41.74
18	Wyoming	$90,393	$43.46
19	West Virginia	$90,324	$43.42
20	Pennsylvania	$84,933	$40.83
21	Kentucky	$84,880	$40.81
22	Rhode Island	$85,863	$41.28
23	Delaware	$84,607	$40.68
24	Tennessee	$81,353	$39.11
25	Mississippi	$84,161	$40.46
26	District of Columbia	$83,728	$40.25
27	Louisiana	$86,820	$41.74
28	Nevada	$82,491	$39.66
29	Montana	$84,835	$40.79
30	Michigan	$75,898	$36.49
31	Iowa	$78,029	$37.51
32	Ohio	$74,767	$35.95
33	South Dakota	$82,046	$39.45
34	North Carolina	$76,479	$36.77
35	Idaho	$79,125	$38.04
36	Utah	$73,521	$35.35
37	Georgia	$77,868	$37.44
38	Illinois	$78,269	$37.63
39	Alabama	$73,130	$35.16
40	New Jersey	$82,536	$39.68
41	Wisconsin	$72,938	$35.07
42	Indiana	$70,968	$34.12
43	Hawaii	$82,394	$39.61
44	Alaska	$79,587	$38.26
45	Kansas	$74,197	$35.67
46	Oklahoma	$74,344	$35.74
47	South Carolina	$69,213	$33.28
48	Florida	$74,325	$35.73
49	Missouri	$70,683	$33.98
50	Nebraska	$61,786	$29.70
51	Arkansas	$53,049	$25.50

Top material engineer jobs near you

Highest paying cities for material engineers

The highest-paying cities for material engineers are Menlo Park, CA, Danvers, MA, and Kent, WA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Menlo Park, CA	$101,167	$48.64
2	Danvers, MA	$99,743	$47.95
3	Kent, WA	$94,628	$45.49
4	Rio Rancho, NM	$94,464	$45.42
5	Phoenix, AZ	$92,195	$44.32
6	Hillsboro, OR	$92,014	$44.24
7	New York, NY	$91,860	$44.16
8	Lynchburg, VA	$87,464	$42.05
9	Austin, TX	$87,240	$41.94
10	Pittsburgh, PA	$82,927	$39.87
11	Columbus, MS	$82,083	$39.46
12	Chicago, IL	$78,474	$37.73
13	LaGrange, GA	$77,950	$37.48
14	Durham, NC	$77,359	$37.19
15	Warren, MI	$76,144	$36.61
16	Wichita, KS	$74,464	$35.80
17	Columbus, OH	$74,345	$35.74
18	Lehi, UT	$73,611	$35.39
19	Huntsville, AL	$72,271	$34.75
20	Kansas City, MO	$70,754	$34.02

Material engineer salary details

A material engineer's salary ranges from $65,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $113,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average material engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a material engineer's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$113,000	$9,417	$54
75th Percentile	$99,000	$8,250	$48
Average	$86,258	$7,188	$41
25th Percentile	$74,000	$6,167	$36
10th Percentile	$65,000	$5,417	$31

Highest paying material engineer jobs

The highest paying types of material engineers are research and development engineer, equipment engineer, and research engineer.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Research And Development Engineer	$100,169	$8,347	$48.16	187,910
Product Development Engineer	$86,075	$7,173	$41.38	202,155
Development Engineer	$93,206	$7,767	$44.81	224,881
Equipment Engineer	$97,539	$8,128	$46.89	108,449
Product Design Engineer	$94,827	$7,902	$45.59	170,485
Process Engineer	$82,443	$6,870	$39.64	66,937

How would you rate the starting salaries for material 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 Bls

Top companies hiring material engineers now:

Which companies pay material engineers the most?

Material engineer salaries at Apple and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average material engineer salary at companies like ConocoPhillips and Western Digital are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Apple	$136,874	$65.80
2	Meta	$133,495	$64.18
3	ConocoPhillips	$113,168	$54.41
4	Western Digital	$109,198	$52.50
5	Applied Materials	$108,280	$52.06
6	Chevron	$106,997	$51.44
7	HP	$102,957	$49.50
8	Neuralink IT Solutions	$101,464	$48.78
9	Adesto Technologies	$101,180	$48.64
10	PRO Unlimited	$100,291	$48.22
11	Texas Instruments	$100,128	$48.14
12	KLA	$99,432	$47.80
13	Baker Hughes	$98,594	$47.40
14	General Motors	$97,986	$47.11
15	Xilinx	$96,948	$46.61
16	OmniVision Technologies	$96,911	$46.59
17	Infinera	$96,802	$46.54
18	TÜV SÜD America	$96,638	$46.46
19	Lam Research	$96,276	$46.29
20	Eastman	$95,978	$46.14

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$90,000$88,800$87,600$86,400$85,200$84,000

MaleFemale

Material engineer salary trends

The average material engineer salary has risen by $10,002 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average material engineer earned $76,256 annually, but today, they earn $86,258 a year. That works out to a 2% change in pay for material engineers over the last decade.

Compare material engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average material engineer salary over time

Compare material engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Material engineer salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$86,300	$41.47	+2.4%
2024	$84,200	$40.48	+1.0%
2023	$83,300	$40.06	-2.4%
2022	$85,300	$41.02	+1.4%
2021	$84,200	$40.46	+2.1%

Recently added material engineer salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Amentum	Materials Engineer	Washington, DC	06/28/2025	$120,000
Fedex	Facilities and Material Handling Engineer I-V (Project Engineering)	Moon, PA	06/25/2025	$51,888
Siemens Energy	Materials Engineer-Polymers	Painted Post, NY	06/25/2025	$78,000
Lucid Motors	Staff Materials Engineer, Castings	Newark, CA	06/21/2025	$156,600
John Deere	Materials Engineer	Moline, IL	06/19/2025	$66,372
Precision Castparts Corporation	Raw Material Engineer	New Hartford, NY	06/19/2025	$81,900
Detroit Diesel Corporation	Materials Engineer II	Detroit, MI	06/18/2025	$90,000
Oxman	Materials Engineer	New York, NY	06/18/2025	$110,000
Msccn	Materials Engineer Lead 4	Sunnyvale, CA	06/15/2025	$124,900
Element Materials Technology	Engineer, Materials Testing (Aerospace)	Huntington Beach, CA	06/14/2025	$75,000

Material engineer salary FAQs

What state pays Material Engineers the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a material engineer?

Do materials engineers make a lot of money?

What is a good starting salary for an engineer?

Which type of engineering has the highest salary?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

Search for material engineer jobs

Updated December 15, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs