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Chemical Engineer salary
Average chemical engineer salary
$89,449
How much does a chemical engineer make?
The average chemical engineer salary in the United States is $89,449. Chemical engineer salaries typically range between $67,000 and $119,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for chemical engineers is $43.0 per hour.
Chemical engineer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Chemical engineers earn the highest average salary in Texas.
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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
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.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naval Nuclear Laboratory | Principal Chemical Engineer | Pittsburgh, PA | 12/17/2024 | $114,400 |
| Naval Nuclear Laboratory | Intermediate Chemist & Chemical Engineer | New York, NY | 12/17/2024 | $76,400 |
| KLA Corporation | Quality Chemical Engineer | Totowa, NJ | 12/16/2024 | $72,100 |
| UW Medicine | Chemical Engineering | Seattle, WA | 12/16/2024 | $75,000 |
| Oilandgas.org.Uk | Advanced Chemical Engineer (PRV Engineer) | Des Plaines, IL | 12/16/2024 | $111,300 |
| Oilandgas.org.Uk | Lead Chemical Engineer | Houston, TX | 12/16/2024 | $120,000 |
| Trends-Hq | Chemical Engineer | Cope, SC | 12/16/2024 | $62,000 |
| Honeywell | Lead Chemical Engineer | Des Plaines, IL | 12/14/2024 | $120,000 |
| Honeywell | Lead Chemical Engineer | Houston, TX | 12/14/2024 | $120,000 |
| Department of Defense | Supervisory Chemical Engineer | Fort Stewart, GA | 12/14/2024 | $86,962 |
Chemical Engineer salary FAQs
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