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Job outlook for plastics engineers in the United States
Are plastics engineer jobs in demand?
Plastics engineer job and salary trends over time
Plastics engineer jobs over time
Plastics engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 760 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 810 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 947 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,008 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,054 | 0.00% |
Average plastics engineer salary over time
Plastics engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $80,304 | $38.61 | --0.2% |
| 2025 | $80,474 | $38.69 | +3.7% |
| 2024 | $77,619 | $37.32 | +2.7% |
| 2023 | $75,584 | $36.34 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | $72,758 | $34.98 | +1.0% |
Plastics engineer jobs by state
Most common states for plastics engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 242 | 35% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,246 | 18% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 141 | 15% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 189 | 14% |
| 5 | California | 39,536,653 | 5,001 | 13% |
| 6 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,128 | 13% |
| 7 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 769 | 13% |
| 8 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 742 | 13% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 527 | 13% |
| 10 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 914 | 12% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 679 | 12% |
| 12 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 380 | 12% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 684 | 10% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 347 | 10% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 968 | 9% |
| 16 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 423 | 9% |
| 17 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 282 | 9% |
| 18 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 179 | 9% |
| 19 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 146 | 9% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 66 | 9% |
Most common cities for plastics engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lowell | 2 | 2% | $78,813 |
| 2 | Lawrence | 1 | 1% | $78,733 |
| 3 | Olathe | 1 | 1% | $56,034 |
Plastics Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of plastics engineer experts
North Dakota State University
Weber State University
Wichita State University
Andriy Voronov
ProfessorNorth Dakota State University
Coatings and Polymeric Materials Department
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Plastics Engineers?
Andriy Voronov: I think most graduate programs in materials science offer opportunities for interdisciplinary research and educational activities. Their philosophy is to educate and prepare job prospects by providing advanced aspects of work, including extensive collaborations between departments, programs, institutions or with industrial partners. Offering specialized trainings in various areas, graduate programs aim to merge basic and applied research within the certain field. With this said, quit often graduate programs work also with leading industrial scientists who help to provide to the graduates new and practical directions to become competitive at the job market. Answering your question more specifically, graduate programs do target as complementary and comprehensive education as possible. It will be interesting to hear from graduates what courses they took have the biggest impact for them, as well as if they need any additional certifications/licenses and which specifically.
What will help Plastics Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. A. Tye Gardner Ph.D.: Getting a master's degree goes a long way to making candidates stand out and improving earnings. My recommendation is to tailor your MS degree to the specific field you're interested in working in, because employers really want to see candidates that are passionate about the field, and very few people survive a graduate degree without at least a little passion. Available salary data indicates that if you choose an affordable program (let's just say Weber State University), it takes only a few years to pay off the added cost, increases starting salaries, and dramatically improves long-term earning potential. Moreover, you can find electrical engineers with MBAs at C-level positions all over the country. It turns out being an EE makes you a good candidate for business leadership.
Dr. Atul Rai Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorWichita State University
School of Accountancy, Barton School of Business
What experience really stands out on Plastics 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.