Aerospace Engineers
Median $134,960
Occupation · SOC 17-2041
Chemical Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What chemical engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$125,040 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $129,980
- Median hourly wage
- $60.12
- Mean hourly wage
- $62.49
- Employment
- 21,070
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2041.
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See where your pay falls among chemical engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do chemical engineers make?
The median annual wage for chemical engineers was $125,040 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $79,420 and the highest-paid 10% more than $182,880. As an hourly rate, the median is $60.12. About 21,070 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Mexico ($158,190), Virginia ($136,380) and Alabama ($135,030). New Mexico also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for chemical engineers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $79,420 | $38.19 | $6,618 | $5,392 |
| 25th percentile | $97,820 | $47.03 | $8,152 | $6,471 |
| Median | $125,040 | $60.12 | $10,420 | $8,061 |
| 75th percentile | $157,190 | $75.57 | $13,099 | $9,892 |
| 90th percentile | $182,880 | $87.92 | $15,240 | $11,355 |
Chemical Engineers: pay by state
41 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$122,509 take-home in national prices
2
$113,080 take-home in national prices
3
$110,450 take-home in national prices
Where a median chemical engineer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 160 | $158,190 | $76,540 | $205,360 | $112,968 | $122,509 |
| Virginia | 790 | $136,380 | $92,540 | $176,950 | $97,454 | $96,390 |
| Alabama | 600 | $135,030 | $77,750 | $164,700 | $98,105 | $110,450 |
| Louisiana | 730 | $134,800 | $75,500 | $177,790 | $99,744 | $113,080 |
| Delaware | 370 | $133,670 | $86,810 | $176,650 | $94,614 | $94,796 |
| Texas | 2,610 | $132,750 | $86,920 | $210,460 | $102,001 | $105,094 |
| West Virginia | 160 | $129,210 | $90,660 | $181,340 | $94,552 | $105,649 |
| New York | 540 | $129,060 | $81,520 | $146,180 | $92,461 | $85,675 |
| Washington | 650 | $128,290 | $94,160 | $185,360 | $97,173 | $90,805 |
| Oklahoma | 110 | $127,790 | $88,610 | $189,870 | $93,405 | $106,332 |
| Montana | 80 | $127,490 | $88,640 | $165,230 | $92,563 | $97,800 |
| Maryland | 500 | $127,190 | $68,670 | $185,220 | $92,353 | $87,990 |
| New Jersey | 440 | $126,760 | $81,040 | $185,190 | $91,299 | $83,911 |
| Colorado | 720 | $125,800 | $80,130 | $188,640 | $91,870 | $89,149 |
| Illinois | 520 | $121,560 | $79,120 | $176,110 | $88,475 | $88,512 |
| Massachusetts | 1,460 | $118,000 | $67,810 | $172,170 | $85,620 | $80,959 |
| Iowa | 40 | $117,590 | $78,610 | $134,030 | $87,738 | $99,973 |
| North Carolina | 380 | $117,410 | $81,020 | $168,610 | $87,252 | $92,500 |
| Kentucky | 190 | $117,170 | $89,040 | $161,500 | $87,276 | $96,802 |
| Pennsylvania | 810 | $116,970 | $79,940 | $177,510 | $87,446 | $89,622 |
| Oregon | 140 | $116,950 | $83,080 | $166,610 | $81,509 | $78,858 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $115,400 | $45,760 | $162,560 | $89,023 | $100,072 |
| Indiana | 720 | $113,160 | $89,990 | $135,940 | $85,129 | $91,214 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $111,590 | $70,670 | $152,750 | $82,535 | $80,695 |
| Ohio | 1,030 | $111,200 | $76,940 | $169,600 | $84,438 | $91,015 |
| Florida | 230 | $109,000 | $73,180 | $160,340 | $85,512 | $82,689 |
| Minnesota | 210 | $107,670 | $60,320 | $269,800 | $78,304 | $79,399 |
| Idaho | 140 | $106,740 | $97,150 | $174,970 | $79,373 | $83,118 |
| Mississippi | 150 | $106,740 | $81,990 | $149,430 | $80,384 | $92,445 |
| Alaska | Not published | $106,080 | $106,080 | $142,350 | $83,186 | $81,269 |
| Arkansas | 290 | $105,270 | $80,480 | $159,150 | $79,193 | $91,092 |
| Georgia | 330 | $103,880 | $66,030 | $164,590 | $77,474 | $80,457 |
| Michigan | 670 | $103,230 | $63,930 | $155,420 | $77,316 | $80,356 |
| Missouri | 320 | $102,320 | $84,300 | $166,270 | $76,940 | $84,720 |
| Connecticut | 410 | $102,270 | $86,190 | $165,210 | $75,379 | $72,753 |
| Kansas | 280 | $102,020 | $73,730 | $161,350 | $75,708 | $84,057 |
| South Carolina | 390 | $101,570 | $77,140 | $146,300 | $75,959 | $81,023 |
| Nebraska | 130 | $98,310 | $60,840 | $156,890 | $74,398 | $82,569 |
| Wisconsin | 110 | $97,660 | $60,740 | $131,410 | $73,245 | $77,842 |
| Utah | Not published | $85,520 | $66,620 | $152,760 | $65,279 | $66,029 |
| New Hampshire | 40 | $73,250 | $53,930 | $146,170 | $60,361 | $57,948 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2041. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.