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Average materials science and engineering major salary
Updated September 14, 2023
$70,247

What is the average materials science and engineering major salary in the US?

Materials science and engineering major graduates in America make, on average, $70,247 a year or $33.77 per hour.If you are in the top 10 percent, you will make over $118,000; however, if you are in the bottom 10 percent, you will earn less than $41,000 per year.technology companies and manufacturing companies have the most job opportunities for materials science and engineering majors.The best states for high paying jobs for materials science and engineering major graduates are California, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey.
Best paying cities
$88,780
$78,232
$75,967

Average materials science and engineering salary by company

Materials science and engineering major graduates report their job security as good. But just as in every field, some employers pay higher wages than others.technology companies and manufacturing companies are the best when it comes to the number of employment opportunities.Companies like Meta or Google will get you the highest pay packages.Companies like Apple and Cadence Design Systems also pay high salaries to materials science and engineering major graduates.

Average materials science and engineering major salary by city

Across America, materials science and engineering major graduates make on average $70,247 annually or $33.77 hourly.The top city when it comes to salaries for materials science and engineering majors is San Francisco, CA at $88,780 per year.The average entry-level salary in San Francisco, CA is $50,000.Other top cities with competitive salaries are Seattle, WA, Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, New York, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Albuquerque, NM.California, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Jersey are the states with the highest payscale for materials science and engineering major graduates.The lowest earning states are Mississippi, South Dakota, South Carolina, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Average salary by location

RankCityAverage materials science and engineering salarySalary range
1San Francisco, CA
$88,780
$47k
$119k
2Seattle, WA
$78,232
$47k
$119k
3Boston, MA
$75,967
$47k
$119k
4Baltimore, MD
$73,699
$47k
$119k
5New York, NY
$72,358
$47k
$119k
6Phoenix, AZ
$72,255
$47k
$119k
7Albuquerque, NM
$71,950
$47k
$119k
8Hillsboro, OR
$71,372
$47k
$119k
9Portland, ME
$71,163
$47k
$119k
10Washington, DC
$71,148
$47k
$119k
11Philadelphia, PA
$69,013
$47k
$119k
12Denver, CO
$68,356
$47k
$119k
13Richmond, VA
$67,817
$47k
$119k
14Chicago, IL
$66,718
$47k
$119k
15San Antonio, TX
$66,714
$47k
$119k
16Minneapolis, MN
$66,510
$47k
$119k
17Washington, MI
$65,180
$47k
$119k
18Richmond, IN
$63,340
$47k
$119k
19Salt Lake City, UT
$62,847
$47k
$119k
20Oklahoma City, OK
$62,823
$47k
$119k

Average materials science and engineering major salary by state

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

Average salary

Materials science and engineering major average salary by state

StateAverage materials science and engineering major salaryAverage hourly rate
California$84,099$40.43
Washington$77,764$37.39
Massachusetts$76,023$36.55
Maryland$73,530$35.35
New Jersey$72,683$34.94
Connecticut$72,302$34.76
New York$72,193$34.71
Arizona$72,121$34.67
New Mexico$71,967$34.60
Oregon$71,583$34.41
Maine$70,694$33.99
Nevada$70,180$33.74
Hawaii$70,008$33.66
Delaware$69,831$33.57
Alaska$69,575$33.45
Idaho$69,540$33.43
New Hampshire$69,152$33.25
Rhode Island$68,894$33.12
Pennsylvania$68,555$32.96
Colorado$68,404$32.89
Virginia$68,022$32.70
Illinois$66,520$31.98
Minnesota$66,483$31.96
Wyoming$66,391$31.92
Texas$66,106$31.78
Louisiana$65,650$31.56
Montana$65,180$31.34
Michigan$64,886$31.20
West Virginia$63,754$30.65
Tennessee$63,425$30.49
Utah$63,226$30.40
Vermont$63,132$30.35
Indiana$62,854$30.22
Ohio$62,748$30.17
Oklahoma$62,554$30.07
North Dakota$62,515$30.06
North Carolina$61,432$29.53
Wisconsin$61,206$29.43
Georgia$60,832$29.25
Alabama$60,540$29.11
Florida$60,347$29.01
Iowa$60,037$28.86
Kentucky$59,647$28.68
Kansas$59,581$28.64
Mississippi$59,478$28.60
South Dakota$59,409$28.56
South Carolina$59,204$28.46
Missouri$58,346$28.05
Arkansas$56,210$27.02
Nebraska$55,522$26.69

Average materials science and engineering major salary by industry

Materials science and engineering major salaries can vary depending on the industry.Our analysis shows that health care companies, technology companies, and automotive companies pay higher-than-average wages for materials science and engineering major graduates.health care companies pay materials science and engineering major graduates the highest wages, averaging $84,279 per year. Technology companies and automotive companies pay well too, at $81,463 and $70,212, respectively.The types of companies that pay materials science and engineering majors the least are in the education industry, where the average annual salary is $38,316.

Average salary by industry

RankIndustryAverage materials science and engineering major salaryRange
1
Health Care
$84,279
$28k
$102k
2
Technology
$81,463
$28k
$102k
3
Automotive
$70,212
$28k
$102k
4
Manufacturing
$70,026
$28k
$102k
5
Energy
$62,721
$28k
$102k
6
Professional
$57,664
$28k
$102k
7
Telecommunication
$45,473
$28k
$102k
8
Hospitality
$43,397
$28k
$102k
9
Education
$38,316
$28k
$102k

Salary history for materials science and engineering major graduates

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

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
16Environmental Engineering
$70,158
$41k
$114k
17Mechatronics And Robotics
$69,788
$41k
$114k
18Chemical Engineering
$68,316
$41k
$114k
19Architectural Engineering
$65,064
$41k
$114k
20Biomedical Engineering
$55,912
$41k
$114k