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Chemical engineer salary
Average chemical engineer salary
$89,449
Understanding Chemical Engineer Salaries
The average salary for chemical engineers is $89,449 per year, with variations depending on factors such as experience level, industry, and geographical location. For instance, entry-level positions typically offer lower salaries, while those in senior roles can earn significantly more. Many chemical engineers work in sectors like pharmaceuticals, petroleum, and manufacturing, where demand is high.
State-by-State Salary Analysis
In states such as California and Texas, salaries can exceed the national average, reflecting the cost of living and market demands. Additionally, industries such as petrochemicals and biotechnology often provide higher compensation due to the specialized skills required.
Salary Estimates Across Various Roles
Positions such as Senior Chemical Engineer or Process Engineer can command higher salaries, often ranging from $95,000 to $120,000 annually. Understanding the factors that influence these salary ranges can help job seekers better negotiate their compensation packages.
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Where can a Chemical Engineer earn more?
Chemical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average chemical engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for chemical engineers are Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The lowest average chemical engineer salary states are Wisconsin, Utah, and Connecticut.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for chemical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $95,065 | $45.70 |
| 2 | Texas | $112,047 | $53.87 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $108,353 | $52.09 |
| 4 | Maryland | $96,747 | $46.51 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $91,611 | $44.04 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $97,437 | $46.84 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $89,205 | $42.89 |
| 8 | Alabama | $85,023 | $40.88 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $85,729 | $41.22 |
| 10 | California | $90,079 | $43.31 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $101,222 | $48.66 |
| 12 | Washington | $88,310 | $42.46 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $100,566 | $48.35 |
| 14 | Vermont | $88,055 | $42.33 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $83,050 | $39.93 |
| 16 | Arizona | $82,511 | $39.67 |
| 17 | Iowa | $79,276 | $38.11 |
| 18 | Missouri | $85,671 | $41.19 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $84,652 | $40.70 |
| 20 | Michigan | $76,578 | $36.82 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $91,381 | $43.93 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $79,966 | $38.45 |
| 23 | Maine | $83,634 | $40.21 |
| 24 | Indiana | $76,815 | $36.93 |
| 25 | Oregon | $78,972 | $37.97 |
| 26 | Florida | $83,615 | $40.20 |
| 27 | Ohio | $76,044 | $36.56 |
| 28 | Idaho | $77,166 | $37.10 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $94,153 | $45.27 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $76,755 | $36.90 |
| 31 | Georgia | $76,323 | $36.69 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $74,666 | $35.90 |
| 33 | New York | $78,942 | $37.95 |
| 34 | Colorado | $74,305 | $35.72 |
| 35 | Nevada | $76,179 | $36.62 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $73,495 | $35.33 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $73,287 | $35.23 |
| 38 | Illinois | $75,255 | $36.18 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $73,672 | $35.42 |
| 40 | Delaware | $72,192 | $34.71 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $73,821 | $35.49 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $71,664 | $34.45 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $72,894 | $35.05 |
| 44 | Utah | $67,863 | $32.63 |
| 45 | Montana | $73,569 | $35.37 |
| 46 | Alaska | $72,944 | $35.07 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $72,971 | $35.08 |
| 48 | Connecticut | $66,906 | $32.17 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $60,501 | $29.09 |
| 50 | Kansas | $58,768 | $28.25 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $66,185 | $31.82 |
Highest paying cities for chemical engineers
The highest-paying cities for chemical engineers are Sugar Land, TX, Baton Rouge, LA, and Tulsa, OK.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugar Land, TX | $114,407 | $55.00 |
| 2 | Baton Rouge, LA | $101,224 | $48.67 |
| 3 | Tulsa, OK | $99,406 | $47.79 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $97,482 | $46.87 |
| 5 | Reston, VA | $94,974 | $45.66 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA | $92,883 | $44.66 |
| 7 | Cambridge, MA | $91,698 | $44.09 |
| 8 | Newark, NJ | $91,372 | $43.93 |
| 9 | Saint Paul, MN | $89,253 | $42.91 |
| 10 | Miami, FL | $85,973 | $41.33 |
| 11 | Kingsport, TN | $85,458 | $41.09 |
| 12 | Richland, WA | $85,420 | $41.07 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO | $84,702 | $40.72 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $79,096 | $38.03 |
| 15 | Akron, OH | $77,821 | $37.41 |
| 16 | Allentown, PA | $76,962 | $37.00 |
| 17 | Des Plaines, IL | $75,605 | $36.35 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $75,569 | $36.33 |
| 19 | Newark, DE | $72,165 | $34.69 |
| 20 | Salt Lake City, UT | $67,153 | $32.29 |
Chemical engineer salary details
A chemical engineer's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $119,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a chemical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $89,449 | $7,454 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest paying chemical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of chemical engineers are senior process engineer, research and development engineer, and equipment engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Engineer Internship | $39,495 | $3,291 | $18.99 | 87,030 |
| Research And Development Engineer | $100,169 | $8,347 | $48.16 | 187,910 |
| Product Development Engineer | $86,075 | $7,173 | $41.38 | 202,155 |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $78,522 | $6,543 | $37.75 | 115,384 |
| Production Engineer | $89,727 | $7,477 | $43.14 | 94,789 |
| Equipment Engineer | $97,539 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 108,449 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for chemical engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Top companies hiring chemical engineers now:
Which companies pay chemical engineers the most?
Chemical engineer salaries at BP America Inc and Shell are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chemical engineer salary at companies like Google and Marathon Petroleum are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BP America Inc | $126,928 | $61.02 |
| 2 | Shell Trading | $124,074 | $59.65 |
| 3 | $120,864 | $58.11 | |
| 4 | Marathon Petroleum | $118,365 | $56.91 |
| 5 | Applied Materials | $116,274 | $55.90 |
| 6 | CITGO Petroleum | $116,216 | $55.87 |
| 7 | Chevron | $115,968 | $55.75 |
| 8 | Schlumberger | $114,051 | $54.83 |
| 9 | Genentech | $112,514 | $54.09 |
| 10 | Exxon Mobil | $110,118 | $52.94 |
| 11 | Primus Power | $109,991 | $52.88 |
| 12 | Eli Lilly and Company | $109,898 | $52.84 |
| 13 | ConocoPhillips | $109,528 | $52.66 |
| 14 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $108,324 | $52.08 |
| 15 | Seagate Technology | $108,234 | $52.04 |
| 16 | WEC Energy Group | $107,981 | $51.91 |
| 17 | Technip USA Corporation | $107,962 | $51.90 |
| 18 | Baker Hughes | $107,865 | $51.86 |
| 19 | Battelle | $107,433 | $51.65 |
| 20 | Occidental Petroleum | $107,060 | $51.47 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Chemical Engineer salary by industry
The average chemical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average chemical engineer salary in the energy industry is $97,766, the highest of any industry.
- The average chemical engineer salary in the finance industry is $97,162.
- Chemical engineers in the utilities industry earn an average salary of $94,817, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for chemical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $97,766 | $47.00 |
| 2 | Technology | $97,162 | $46.71 |
| 3 | Pharmaceutical | $95,061 | $45.70 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $95,052 | $45.70 |
| 5 | Utilities | $94,817 | $45.59 |
High paying chemical engineer jobs
Chemical engineer salary trends
The average chemical engineer salary has risen by $12,865 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chemical engineer earned $76,584 annually, but today, they earn $89,449 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for chemical engineers over the last decade.
Compare chemical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average chemical engineer salary over time
Compare chemical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chemical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $89,400 | $43.00 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | $89,600 | $43.10 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $86,500 | $41.57 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | $84,200 | $40.48 | +3.7% |
| 2021 | $81,000 | $38.96 | +1.0% |
Recently added chemical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argonne National Laboratory | Postdoctoral Appointee-Molten Salt Chemical Engineering | Lemont, IL | 06/27/2025 | $70,758 |
| Revolution Technologies | Chemical Engineering | Boise, ID | 06/27/2025 | $88,301 |
| Honeywell | Chemical ENG Manager | Rosemont, IL | 06/21/2025 | $144,000 |
| Ecolab | Lead Chemical Engineer-Semiconductor Microe | Naperville, IL | 06/20/2025 | $104,700 |
| Chemtrade Logistics Inc. | Chemical Engineering Co-Op | Tulsa, OK | 06/18/2025 | $45,914 |
| Actalent | Chemical Engineer | San Antonio, TX | 06/18/2025 | $70,958 |
| Cretex | Chemical Engineer | Dassel, MN | 06/16/2025 | $81,000 |
| Bcforward | Lead Chemical Engineer | Des Plaines, IL | 06/10/2025 | $110,611 |
| Space Exploration Technologies | Chemical Engineer | Lompoc, CA | 06/07/2025 | $110,000 |
| Kingspan Group Public Limited Company | Chemical Engineer | Modesto, CA | 06/07/2025 | $75,000 |
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