Chemical Engineers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 17-2041 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$121,867
$58.59/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Chemical Engineers is $121,867 per year ($58.59/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $96,034 and $152,298 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $182,146 per year. There are approximately 20,330 chemical engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products, such as gasoline, synthetic rubber, plastics, detergents, cement, paper, and pulp, by applying principles and technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+2.6%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
22K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)
NAICS 3250A1
5K
$112,490
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
3K
$121,220
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
2K
$121,180
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
1K
$138,480
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
NAICS 324100
1K
$135,560
Wage range across top 5 industries: $112,490 to $138,480 (23% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$37.75
$78,520
P25
$46.17
$96,034
P50MEDIAN
$58.59
$121,867
P75
$73.22
$152,298
P90
$87.57
$182,146
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average chemical engineers salary?
The national median salary for Chemical Engineers is $121,867 per year ($58.59/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $96,034 and $152,298 annually.
How much do top-earning chemical engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Chemical Engineers is $182,146 per year ($87.57/hr). The 75th percentile is $152,298 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for chemical engineers?
Entry-level Chemical Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $78,520 per year ($37.75/hr). The 25th percentile is $96,034 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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