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Senior chemical engineer salary
Average senior chemical engineer salary
$100,309
Understanding the Senior Chemical Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Senior Chemical Engineer is reported at $100,309 per year, translating to approximately $48 per hour. This figure represents the median earnings for professionals who typically possess a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and several years of industry experience.
Salary levels can vary significantly based on state, experience, and industry. For instance, states like California and Texas often offer higher compensation due to the concentration of chemical manufacturing firms. Additionally, industries such as pharmaceuticals and energy tend to provide more lucrative roles for senior engineers.
When considering a career as a senior chemical engineer, it’s essential to evaluate the demand in your region. Research shows that engineers in urban areas tend to earn more than those in rural settings. Furthermore, the experience level plays a crucial role; senior engineers with extensive project management experience or specialized skills may command salaries exceeding the average. To maximize earning potential, continuous education and certification can be advantageous.
Key Takeaways
- Average salary: $100,309
- Top states for earning potential include California and Texas
- Experience and specialization impact salary significantly
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Where can a Senior Chemical Engineer earn more?
Senior chemical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior chemical engineer salary by state
The average senior chemical engineer salary in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior chemical engineer salary states are Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior chemical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $123,003 | $59.14 |
| 2 | Texas | $121,753 | $58.54 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $109,168 | $52.48 |
| 4 | Nebraska | $106,765 | $51.33 |
| 5 | California | $107,691 | $51.77 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $100,455 | $48.30 |
| 7 | Virginia | $102,063 | $49.07 |
| 8 | Missouri | $115,106 | $55.34 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | $121,254 | $58.30 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $100,147 | $48.15 |
| 11 | Alabama | $96,483 | $46.39 |
| 12 | Vermont | $98,594 | $47.40 |
| 13 | Louisiana | $108,450 | $52.14 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $97,080 | $46.67 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $98,888 | $47.54 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $108,838 | $52.33 |
| 17 | Iowa | $100,554 | $48.34 |
| 18 | Washington | $97,367 | $46.81 |
| 19 | Oregon | $96,168 | $46.23 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $100,601 | $48.37 |
| 21 | Georgia | $97,591 | $46.92 |
| 22 | Maryland | $97,493 | $46.87 |
| 23 | Michigan | $91,589 | $44.03 |
| 24 | Indiana | $93,812 | $45.10 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $94,240 | $45.31 |
| 26 | Arizona | $92,345 | $44.40 |
| 27 | Idaho | $94,614 | $45.49 |
| 28 | Ohio | $89,869 | $43.21 |
| 29 | Montana | $93,981 | $45.18 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $86,400 | $41.54 |
| 31 | Maine | $92,334 | $44.39 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $90,502 | $43.51 |
| 33 | New York | $90,296 | $43.41 |
| 34 | Illinois | $90,498 | $43.51 |
| 35 | Colorado | $86,154 | $41.42 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $86,664 | $41.67 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $87,086 | $41.87 |
| 38 | Utah | $83,720 | $40.25 |
| 39 | Delaware | $80,222 | $38.57 |
| 40 | Nevada | $86,405 | $41.54 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $93,162 | $44.79 |
| 42 | Florida | $87,311 | $41.98 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $78,019 | $37.51 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $85,259 | $40.99 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $82,743 | $39.78 |
| 46 | Rhode Island | $80,267 | $38.59 |
| 47 | New Hampshire | $68,226 | $32.80 |
| 48 | Pennsylvania | $80,253 | $38.58 |
| 49 | Alaska | $81,811 | $39.33 |
| 50 | Connecticut | $74,015 | $35.58 |
| 51 | Kansas | $73,456 | $35.32 |
Highest paying cities for senior chemical engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior chemical engineers are Houston, TX, Kansas City, MO, and Petaluma, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston, TX | $121,726 | $58.52 |
| 2 | Kansas City, MO | $114,838 | $55.21 |
| 3 | Petaluma, CA | $110,620 | $53.18 |
| 4 | Piscataway, NJ | $108,805 | $52.31 |
| 5 | Laplace, LA | $108,587 | $52.21 |
| 6 | Knoxville, TN | $100,884 | $48.50 |
| 7 | Saint Paul, MN | $100,486 | $48.31 |
| 8 | Durham, NC | $97,353 | $46.80 |
| 9 | Butte-Silver Bow, MT | $94,035 | $45.21 |
| 10 | Columbus, IN | $93,700 | $45.05 |
| 11 | Tempe, AZ | $92,411 | $44.43 |
| 12 | Des Plaines, IL | $90,637 | $43.58 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $90,375 | $43.45 |
| 14 | Reno, NV | $88,069 | $42.34 |
| 15 | Panama City, FL | $87,812 | $42.22 |
| 16 | Jonesboro, AR | $86,185 | $41.44 |
| 17 | East Hartford, CT | $74,001 | $35.58 |
| 18 | Overland Park, KS | $73,143 | $35.16 |
Senior chemical engineer salary details
A senior chemical engineer's salary ranges from $77,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $129,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior chemical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $129,000 | $10,750 | $62 |
| 75th Percentile | $114,000 | $9,500 | $55 |
| Average | $100,309 | $8,359 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
Highest paying senior chemical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior chemical engineers are senior engineer, staff engineer, and senior process engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Plant Engineer | $93,949 | $7,829 | $45.17 | 44,391 |
| Plastics Engineer | $80,304 | $6,692 | $38.61 | 47,267 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Chemical Engineering Internship | $76,041 | $6,337 | $36.56 | 99,481 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for senior 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 senior chemical engineers now:
Which companies pay senior chemical engineers the most?
Senior chemical engineer salaries at Tesla and CyberCoders are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior chemical engineer salary at companies like Cargill and Western Digital are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | $112,003 | $53.85 |
| 2 | CyberCoders | $108,523 | $52.17 |
| 3 | Cargill | $107,655 | $51.76 |
| 4 | Western Digital | $106,729 | $51.31 |
| 5 | Burns & McDonnell | $106,493 | $51.20 |
| 6 | Honeywell | $104,401 | $50.19 |
| 7 | Solugen | $103,841 | $49.92 |
| 8 | Heliogen | $103,841 | $49.92 |
| 9 | Trinity Industries | $103,840 | $49.92 |
| 10 | Solid Power | $103,753 | $49.88 |
| 11 | Micron Technology | $103,719 | $49.86 |
| 12 | Peraton | $103,359 | $49.69 |
| 13 | FXI Holdings, Inc. | $102,892 | $49.47 |
| 14 | Exponent | $101,537 | $48.82 |
| 15 | Corning Incorporated | $100,556 | $48.34 |
| 16 | John Crane | $99,672 | $47.92 |
| 17 | Air Incorporated | $99,003 | $47.60 |
| 18 | Sargent & Lundy | $97,559 | $46.90 |
| 19 | Medtronic | $97,146 | $46.70 |
| 20 | SRI International | $96,799 | $46.54 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Chemical Engineer salary by industry
The average senior chemical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior chemical engineer salary in the finance industry is $107,669, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior chemical engineer salary in the finance industry is $104,251.
- Senior chemical engineers in the utilities industry earn an average salary of $94,239, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior chemical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $107,669 | $51.76 |
| 2 | Energy | $104,251 | $50.12 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $95,054 | $45.70 |
| 4 | Utilities | $94,239 | $45.31 |
High paying senior chemical engineer jobs
Senior chemical engineer salary trends
The average senior chemical engineer salary has risen by $14,426 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior chemical engineer earned $85,883 annually, but today, they earn $100,309 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior chemical engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior chemical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior chemical engineer salary over time
Compare senior chemical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior chemical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $100,000 | $48.23 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | $101,000 | $48.33 | +3.5% |
| 2023 | $97,000 | $46.61 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | $94,400 | $45.39 | +3.7% |
| 2021 | $90,900 | $43.69 | +1.0% |
Recently added senior chemical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2350-The Chemours Company FC, LLC | Senior Chemical Engineer | Fayetteville, NC | 06/27/2025 | $105,280 |
| Honeywell | Senior Advanced Chemical Engineer | Des Plaines, IL | 06/26/2025 | $118,000 |
| Ursa Major | Senior Chemical Engineer | Berthoud, CO | 06/13/2025 | $101,000 |
| Ecolab Inc. | SR Chemical Engineer | Greensboro, NC | 06/10/2025 | $83,600 |
| General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems | SR Prin Chemical Engineer (SRM) | Folsom, CA | 05/28/2025 | $120,610 |
| Honeywell | SR Chemical Engineer-Pressure Relief Valve | Tulsa, OK | 05/19/2025 | $110,000 |
| Honeywell | SR Chemical Engineer-Pressure Relief Valve | Houston, TX | 05/19/2025 | $110,000 |
| Honeywell | Senior Advanced Chemical Engineer | Des Plaines, IL | 05/19/2025 | $110,000 |
| Altria | Senior Chemical Engineer II | Richmond, VA | 05/16/2025 | $101,800 |
| Chemours | Manufacturing Technology Senior Chemical Engineer | Belle, WV | 05/02/2025 | $93,184 |
Senior chemical engineer salary FAQs
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