How Much Do Chemical Engineers Make in 2021 (including Starting Salary)

Stan T.Career, SalaryLeave a Comment

Annual Salary, Salary Range, and Highest Paying States and Industries

Chemical Engineers

Chemical Engineers 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.

Salary
$114820
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality



Table of contents
  1. Average salary
  2. Starting salary
  3. Salary rank
  4. Salary range
  5. Highest paying states
  6. Highest paying industries

Average salary

Annual salary
$114820 per year
Hourly wage
$55 per hour

Starting salary

Entry-level annual salary
$68,430 to $84,890 per year
Entry-level hourly wage
$33 to $41 per hour

Entry-level Chemical Engineers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $68,430 to $84,890 per year or $33 to $41 per hour. Similar to any other job, their salary will increase as they gain experience.

Salary rank

Salary rank
A

We wanted to make it easy for our readers to compare the salary of Chemical Engineers to all the other careers out there. So we created Salary Rank. We compared the salary of all careers then we gave them a rank of A, B, C, or D depending on where their average salary sit in comparison to other careers.

Salary range

Level Hourly Annual
Highest (Top 10%) $81 $168,960
Senior (Top 25%) $66 $136,360
Middle (Mid 50%) $52 $108,540
Junior (Bottom 25%) $41 $84,890
No experience (Bottom 10%) $33 $68,430

Highest paying states

State Hourly Annual
TX $67 $138,600
DE $63 $131,630
LA $61 $127,260
NM $60 $125,070
ID $59 $123,400
DC $59 $122,620
OK $58 $121,120
NJ $58 $120,710
WV $57 $119,250
MD $56 $116,080

Another simple way to increase your salary as a Chemical Engineer is to move to a higher paying state. However moving to a higher paying state like TX doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the expenses at TX might be much higher than where you are currently living at right now.

According to BLS, the highest paid Chemical Engineers are in the states of TX, DE, LA, NM and ID.

Highest paying industries

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Oil and Gas Extraction $150780 $72.49
Management of Companies and Enterprises $134830 $64.82
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing $129010 $62.03
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing $124390 $59.80
Local Government $121110 $58.23
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services $120600 $57.98
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil $119300 $57.36
Chemical Manufacturing $118440 $56.94
Support Activities for Mining $118370 $56.91
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers $117930 $56.70
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services $116720 $56.12
Scientific Research and Development Services $114580 $55.09
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services $114220 $54.91
Employment Services $113940 $54.78
Federal Executive Branch $113450 $54.54
Computer Systems Design and Related Services $111390 $53.55
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing $110470 $53.11
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing $109240 $52.52
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods $109070 $52.44
Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing $108110 $51.98
Machinery Manufacturing $105520 $50.73
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing $104600 $50.29
Plastics Product Manufacturing $103710 $49.86
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing $102540 $49.30
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities $100490 $48.31
Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing $100320 $48.23
Chemical Manufacturing $100080 $48.11
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing $99350 $47.77
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing $99060 $47.62
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills $98900 $47.55

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