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.
Table of contents
- Average salary
- Starting salary
- Salary rank
- Salary range
- Highest paying states
- Highest paying industries
Average salary
Starting salary
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
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 |