Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Senior materials engineer salary
Average senior materials engineer salary
$107,546
Average Senior Materials Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Senior Materials Engineer in the United States is $107,546 per year, or about $52 per hour. This figure reflects the demand for skilled professionals in materials engineering, an area critical to developing innovative materials for a variety of applications.
Salary Estimates by State
Salaries can vary significantly by state and experience level. For instance, states like California and Texas often offer higher compensation due to their robust job markets and industry presence. Additionally, factors such as the specific industry and company size can affect salary ranges.
Job Opportunities
Senior Materials Engineers typically find roles in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and electronics. Companies are looking for experts who can optimize material properties to enhance product performance. If you’re considering a career in this field, research salary trends in your desired location to make informed decisions about your future.
Let Zippia find your next senior materials engineer job
Let Zippia find your next senior materials engineer job
Where can a Senior Materials Engineer earn more?
Senior materials engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior materials engineer salary by state
The average senior materials engineer salary in Texas, New Hampshire, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior materials engineer salary states are Idaho, Wisconsin, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior materials engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | $128,611 | $61.83 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $121,432 | $58.38 |
| 3 | Washington | $117,726 | $56.60 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $117,718 | $56.60 |
| 5 | Georgia | $120,205 | $57.79 |
| 6 | California | $121,367 | $58.35 |
| 7 | Arizona | $114,101 | $54.86 |
| 8 | Kentucky | $119,032 | $57.23 |
| 9 | Vermont | $115,713 | $55.63 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $111,610 | $53.66 |
| 11 | Maryland | $117,200 | $56.35 |
| 12 | Florida | $116,485 | $56.00 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $117,063 | $56.28 |
| 14 | Virginia | $111,073 | $53.40 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $109,728 | $52.75 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $110,216 | $52.99 |
| 17 | Maine | $112,688 | $54.18 |
| 18 | Nevada | $109,461 | $52.63 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $115,719 | $55.63 |
| 20 | Alabama | $104,284 | $50.14 |
| 21 | Colorado | $108,946 | $52.38 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $107,828 | $51.84 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $111,531 | $53.62 |
| 24 | New York | $111,132 | $53.43 |
| 25 | Oregon | $105,972 | $50.95 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $105,596 | $50.77 |
| 27 | Delaware | $103,395 | $49.71 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $107,912 | $51.88 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $104,368 | $50.18 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $100,065 | $48.11 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $103,097 | $49.57 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $102,921 | $49.48 |
| 33 | Indiana | $96,557 | $46.42 |
| 34 | Ohio | $96,844 | $46.56 |
| 35 | Michigan | $96,952 | $46.61 |
| 36 | Alaska | $103,201 | $49.62 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $100,554 | $48.34 |
| 38 | Illinois | $98,021 | $47.13 |
| 39 | Utah | $95,037 | $45.69 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $98,079 | $47.15 |
| 41 | Iowa | $98,160 | $47.19 |
| 42 | Montana | $100,391 | $48.26 |
| 43 | Kansas | $96,020 | $46.16 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $96,085 | $46.19 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $92,564 | $44.50 |
| 46 | Idaho | $92,682 | $44.56 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $77,331 | $37.18 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $94,476 | $45.42 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $80,653 | $38.78 |
| 50 | Missouri | $90,622 | $43.57 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $82,971 | $39.89 |
Highest paying cities for senior materials engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior materials engineers are Austin, TX, Redwood City, CA, and Manchester, NH.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin, TX | $129,352 | $62.19 |
| 2 | Redwood City, CA | $125,679 | $60.42 |
| 3 | Manchester, NH | $121,450 | $58.39 |
| 4 | Bellevue, WA | $118,270 | $56.86 |
| 5 | Lexington, MA | $117,540 | $56.51 |
| 6 | Casa Grande, AZ | $114,191 | $54.90 |
| 7 | Saint Paul, MN | $111,717 | $53.71 |
| 8 | Sparks, NV | $111,389 | $53.55 |
| 9 | Richmond, VA | $110,960 | $53.35 |
| 10 | Webster, NY | $109,386 | $52.59 |
| 11 | Warminster, PA | $105,975 | $50.95 |
| 12 | Morrisville, NC | $100,319 | $48.23 |
| 13 | Evanston, IL | $98,198 | $47.21 |
| 14 | Livonia, MI | $97,085 | $46.68 |
| 15 | Salt Lake City, UT | $94,398 | $45.38 |
| 16 | Rogers, AR | $79,848 | $38.39 |
Senior materials engineer salary details
A senior materials engineer's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $139,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior materials engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $139,000 | $11,583 | $67 |
| 75th Percentile | $123,000 | $10,250 | $59 |
| Average | $107,546 | $8,962 | $52 |
| 25th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
Highest paying senior materials engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior materials engineers are senior engineer, senior process engineer, and senior product engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metallurgist | $83,962 | $6,997 | $40.37 | 25,545 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Corrosion Engineer | $99,156 | $8,263 | $47.67 | 21,942 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Welding Engineer | $84,923 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 39,405 |
| Metallurgical Engineer | $82,916 | $6,910 | $39.86 | 34,491 |
Top companies hiring senior materials engineers now:
Which companies pay senior materials engineers the most?
Senior materials engineer salaries at Apple and JCPenney are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior materials engineer salary at companies like Amazon and Rivian are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $138,116 | $66.40 |
| 2 | JCPenney | $129,379 | $62.20 |
| 3 | Amazon | $126,257 | $60.70 |
| 4 | Rivian | $120,641 | $58.00 |
| 5 | Technip USA Corporation | $120,439 | $57.90 |
| 6 | Tesla | $116,702 | $56.11 |
| 7 | Micron Technology | $115,874 | $55.71 |
| 8 | Lam Research | $115,098 | $55.34 |
| 9 | Corning Incorporated | $114,818 | $55.20 |
| 10 | Seagate Technology | $114,758 | $55.17 |
| 11 | Qualcomm | $114,721 | $55.15 |
| 12 | Lucid Motors | $114,439 | $55.02 |
| 13 | BD | $113,563 | $54.60 |
| 14 | CTG | $113,073 | $54.36 |
| 15 | TRW Automotive Holdings | $111,940 | $53.82 |
| 16 | Idaho National Lab | $111,863 | $53.78 |
| 17 | Kulicke & Soffa | $111,701 | $53.70 |
| 18 | CPG International Holdings LP | $111,352 | $53.53 |
| 19 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $109,564 | $52.67 |
| 20 | Nokia | $108,971 | $52.39 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Materials Engineer salary by industry
The average senior materials engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior materials engineer salary in the automotive industry is $113,951, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior materials engineer salary in the finance industry is $106,362.
- Senior materials engineers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $96,841, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior materials engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $113,951 | $54.78 |
| 2 | Health Care | $106,362 | $51.14 |
| 3 | Technology | $106,114 | $51.02 |
| 4 | Pharmaceutical | $105,177 | $50.57 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $101,098 | $48.60 |
| 6 | Retail | $96,841 | $46.56 |
High paying senior materials engineer jobs
Senior materials engineer salary trends
The average senior materials engineer salary has risen by $12,470 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior materials engineer earned $95,076 annually, but today, they earn $107,546 a year. That works out to a 2% change in pay for senior materials engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior materials engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior materials engineer salary over time
Compare senior materials engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior materials engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $108,000 | $51.70 | +2.4% |
| 2025 | $105,000 | $50.47 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $104,000 | $49.95 | -2.4% |
| 2023 | $106,000 | $51.15 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $105,000 | $50.45 | +2.1% |
Recently added senior materials engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latham Pool | Senior Material Engineer/Scientist | Zephyrhills, FL | 06/23/2025 | $100,000 |
| Ursa Major | Senior Materials Engineer, Solid Rocket Motors | Berthoud, CO | 06/05/2025 | $105,000 |
| Serco Group | Senior Coatings and Materials Engineer | Washington, DC | 05/31/2025 | $140,006 |
| Questekinnovationsllc | Senior Materials Design Engineer | Evanston, IL | 05/28/2025 | $90,000 |
| Target | Full Stack SR Engineer-Owned Brands-Spark Materials | Brooklyn Park, MN | 05/27/2025 | $95,000 |
| Serco | Senior Coatings and Materials Engineer-Washington, D.C. | Navy Yard City, WA | 05/23/2025 | $140,006 |
| Serco | Senior Coatings and Materials Engineer-Washington, D.C. | Washington, DC | 05/23/2025 | $140,006 |
| Freeform | Senior Materials Engineer (Metal 3D Printing) | Los Angeles, CA | 05/11/2025 | $75,000 |
| Target Enterprise | Full Stack SR Engineer-Owned Brands-Spark Materials | Parkton, NC | 05/09/2025 | $95,000 |
| Corza Medical | Senior Sterilization & Materials Sciences Engineer (Medical Device Experience) | San Diego, CA | 05/08/2025 | $95,000 |
Senior materials engineer salary FAQs
Search for senior materials engineer jobs