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Materials development engineer salary

Quoted expert
Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.

Average materials development engineer salary

$85,952

$41.32 hourly rate

Entry-level materials development engineer salary
$66,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Salary Insights for Materials Development Engineers

The average salary for a Materials Development Engineer in the United States stands at $85,952 annually, translating to approximately $41 per hour. These figures reflect the competitive nature of the field, influenced by factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specific industries. For instance, engineers with more experience typically command higher salaries, with those in senior roles earning significantly more.

Salary Breakdown by State

Salary levels can vary widely across states. For example, states like California and New York often report higher salaries due to living costs and demand for skilled engineers. In contrast, regions with lower living expenses might offer reduced salaries but can provide similar job opportunities. This variability is crucial for job seekers to consider when evaluating potential positions.

Opportunities in the Field

Additionally, exploring industries that prioritize materials development, such as aerospace, electronics, and automotive, can lead to lucrative job offers. Understanding the market dynamics and salary expectations will empower job seekers to make informed decisions and negotiate effectively for their desired roles.

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Where can a Materials Development Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
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125k
105k
85k
65k
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Columbus, OH$102,100
Jeffersonville, IN$75,174
Compare salary by company
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Schrödinger Inc$108,490
Brooks Running$72,960

Materials development engineer salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level materials development engineer$91,800$44.14
Mid-level materials development engineer$106,000$50.85
Senior-level materials development engineer$120,000$57.57

Materials development engineer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com and Comparably, the average salary for a materials development engineer typically falls between $81,603 and $93,354.
zippia
$85,952yearly
comparably[1]
$93,354yearly
Salary.com[2]
$81,603yearly

Average materials development engineer salary by state

The highest-paying states for materials development engineers are New Hampshire, Washington, and Massachusetts. The lowest average materials development engineer salary states are Wisconsin, Ohio, and Missouri.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for materials development engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington$101,445$48.77
2Texas$96,710$46.50
3Massachusetts$101,212$48.66
4New Hampshire$104,403$50.19
5Georgia$93,455$44.93
6Tennessee$95,176$45.76
7Florida$95,942$46.13
8New Mexico$91,285$43.89
9Alaska$95,336$45.83
10North Dakota$90,837$43.67
11Wyoming$89,417$42.99
12Kentucky$92,058$44.26
13Vermont$98,785$47.49
14Minnesota$90,321$43.42
15Arizona$89,098$42.84
16Pennsylvania$87,811$42.22
17California$93,920$45.15
18Maine$97,247$46.75
19Oregon$93,389$44.90
20Nevada$87,879$42.25
21Maryland$96,402$46.35
22Michigan$83,368$40.08
23New Jersey$97,046$46.66
24Virginia$89,872$43.21
25New York$93,430$44.92
26Rhode Island$87,917$42.27
27Louisiana$89,213$42.89
28Connecticut$91,451$43.97
29Alabama$81,627$39.24
30South Carolina$83,609$40.20
31South Dakota$81,535$39.20
32Hawaii$81,563$39.21
33Delaware$85,964$41.33
34Montana$83,997$40.38
35West Virginia$77,643$37.33
36Iowa$78,183$37.59
37District of Columbia$84,490$40.62
38Indiana$75,580$36.34
39Wisconsin$74,034$35.59
40Ohio$72,265$34.74
41Utah$77,442$37.23
42Kansas$75,391$36.25
43North Carolina$78,031$37.51
44Colorado$78,977$37.97
45Idaho$78,402$37.69
46Nebraska$61,620$29.63
47Arkansas$62,884$30.23
48Illinois$77,539$37.28
49Missouri$70,747$34.01
50Oklahoma$75,039$36.08
51Mississippi$65,508$31.49
Top materials development engineer jobs near you

Highest paying cities for materials development engineers

The highest-paying cities for materials development engineers are Seattle, WA, North Andover, MA, and Dublin, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Seattle, WA$102,100$49.09
2North Andover, MA$101,067$48.59
3Dublin, CA$100,021$48.09
4Tampa, FL$96,853$46.56
5New York, NY$93,580$44.99
6Beaverton, OR$92,706$44.57
7Greenville, NC$79,739$38.34
8Denver, CO$78,834$37.90
9Jeffersonville, IN$75,174$36.14

Materials development engineer salary details

A materials development engineer's salary ranges from $66,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $110,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average materials development engineer salary graph
Average materials development engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a materials development engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$110,000$9,167$53
75th Percentile$98,000$8,167$47
Average$85,952$7,163$41
25th Percentile$75,000$6,250$36
10th Percentile$66,000$5,500$32

Highest paying materials development engineer jobs

The highest paying types of materials development engineers are senior materials engineer, glass science engineer, and corrosion engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Metallurgist$83,962$6,997$40.3725,545
Engineer$92,076$7,673$44.27618,207
Welding Engineer$84,923$7,077$40.8339,405
Metallurgical Engineer$82,916$6,910$39.8634,491
Corrosion Engineer$99,156$8,263$47.6721,942
Materials Process Engineer$90,788$7,566$43.6579,795

How would you rate the starting salaries for materials development 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 materials development engineers now:

  1. Schrödinger Inc jobs (4)
  2. General Motors jobs (3)
  3. Micron Technology jobs (3)
  4. Nike jobs (8)
  5. IBM jobs (2)

Which companies pay materials development engineers the most?

Materials development engineer salaries at Schrödinger and Argonne National Laboratory are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average materials development engineer salary at companies like Amazon and Micron Technology are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Schrödinger Inc$108,490$52.16
2Argonne National Laboratory$106,302$51.11
3Amazon$103,518$49.77
4Micron Technology$97,756$47.00
5Nike$95,568$45.95
6Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc.$92,611$44.52
7Adidas North America Inc$90,869$43.69
8The Haartz$88,172$42.39
9Chase$87,824$42.22
10VF$87,442$42.04
11First Solar$87,061$41.86
12Relativity$84,953$40.84
13Michelin$82,693$39.76
14Sandvik Coromant$81,243$39.06
15Prysmian Group$81,189$39.03
16Under Armour$80,597$38.75
17Raytheon Technologies$77,468$37.24
18Perry Ellis International$76,541$36.80
19Brooks Running$72,960$35.08

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$89,000$88,000$87,000$86,000$85,000$84,000
MaleFemale

Materials Development Engineer salary by industry

The average materials development engineer salary varies across industries:

  • The average materials development engineer salary in the retail industry is $93,357, the highest of any industry.
  • The average materials development engineer salary in the finance industry is $87,904.
  • Materials development engineers in the education industry earn an average salary of $82,529, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for materials development engineers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Retail$93,357$44.88
2Automotive$87,904$42.26
3Manufacturing$86,643$41.66
4Technology$84,090$40.43
5Education$82,529$39.68

High paying materials development engineer jobs

Materials development engineer salary trends

The average materials development engineer salary has risen by $9,966 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average materials development engineer earned $75,986 annually, but today, they earn $85,952 a year. That works out to a 2% change in pay for materials development engineers over the last decade.

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

Average materials development engineer salary over time

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

Materials development engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$86,000$41.32+2.4%
2024$83,900$40.34+1.0%
2023$83,000$39.92-2.4%
2022$85,000$40.88+1.4%
2021$83,900$40.32+2.1%

Recently added materials development engineer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Deckers OutdoorMaterial Developer II-Teva/AhnuGoleta, CA06/24/2025$85,000
HondaMaterials Development Principal EngineerRaymond, OH06/06/2025$97,600
YeticoolersMaterials Developer, BagsDenver, CO04/28/2025$69,520
YetiMaterials Developer, BagsDenver, CO04/20/2025$69,520
Outdoor ResearchMaterials DeveloperSeattle, WA04/16/2025$80,000
YeticoolersMaterials Developer, BagsDenver, CO03/28/2025$69,520
Yeti CoolersMaterials Developer, BagsDenver, CO03/27/2025$69,520
AloyogaRaw Materials DeveloperCommerce, CA03/26/2025$90,000
Alo YogaRaw Materials DeveloperCommerce, CA03/25/2025$90,000
YetiMaterials Developer, BagsDenver, CO03/25/2025$69,520

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