Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
Median $115,160
Occupation · SOC 17-2131
Materials Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What materials engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$112,860 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $120,250
- Median hourly wage
- $54.26
- Mean hourly wage
- $57.81
- Employment
- 22,770
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2131.
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See where your pay falls among materials engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do materials engineers make?
The median annual wage for materials engineers was $112,860 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $72,300 and the highest-paid 10% more than $175,720. As an hourly rate, the median is $54.26. About 22,770 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Mexico ($165,600), Maryland ($140,640) and Washington ($139,840). New Mexico also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for materials 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 | $72,300 | $34.76 | $6,025 | $4,974 |
| 25th percentile | $88,080 | $42.35 | $7,340 | $5,900 |
| Median | $112,860 | $54.26 | $9,405 | $7,352 |
| 75th percentile | $142,720 | $68.61 | $11,893 | $9,068 |
| 90th percentile | $175,720 | $84.48 | $14,643 | $10,948 |
Materials Engineers: pay by state
45 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
$127,608 take-home in national prices
2
$108,538 take-home in national prices
3
$98,032 take-home in national prices
Where a median materials 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 | 450 | $165,600 | $126,640 | $204,400 | $117,670 | $127,608 |
| Maryland | 740 | $140,640 | $79,470 | $195,190 | $100,845 | $96,081 |
| Washington | 1,000 | $139,840 | $92,570 | $199,250 | $104,907 | $98,032 |
| Delaware | 40 | $131,320 | $100,620 | $182,400 | $93,172 | $93,351 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $128,670 | $80,860 | $171,140 | $95,738 | $108,538 |
| California | 3,020 | $128,470 | $82,460 | $183,880 | $89,702 | $81,017 |
| Illinois | 290 | $126,620 | $71,780 | $165,710 | $91,688 | $91,726 |
| New York | 590 | $125,900 | $73,920 | $168,120 | $90,488 | $83,846 |
| Colorado | 810 | $124,030 | $64,710 | $180,500 | $90,746 | $88,058 |
| Alaska | 70 | $123,360 | $79,970 | $154,150 | $95,312 | $93,115 |
| Oregon | 120 | $122,850 | $79,040 | $162,600 | $85,087 | $82,320 |
| Connecticut | 420 | $122,300 | $88,330 | $155,440 | $88,159 | $85,087 |
| South Carolina | 600 | $121,610 | $75,550 | $158,940 | $89,013 | $94,948 |
| Florida | 690 | $118,780 | $73,370 | $166,490 | $92,392 | $89,342 |
| Texas | 1,440 | $117,700 | $67,690 | $187,460 | $91,632 | $94,410 |
| Virginia | 620 | $116,720 | $77,490 | $170,210 | $85,045 | $84,117 |
| Massachusetts | 1,360 | $114,100 | $77,980 | $167,180 | $83,089 | $78,566 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $110,970 | $65,250 | $120,830 | $86,897 | $93,750 |
| Alabama | 650 | $107,580 | $69,260 | $168,580 | $80,115 | $90,197 |
| New Jersey | 260 | $106,920 | $82,120 | $170,140 | $78,788 | $72,412 |
| Arizona | 580 | $106,810 | $81,990 | $165,090 | $81,694 | $81,145 |
| Ohio | 1,790 | $106,510 | $76,030 | $169,300 | $81,267 | $87,597 |
| Minnesota | 150 | $106,220 | $84,760 | $175,320 | $77,389 | $78,471 |
| Idaho | 90 | $105,820 | $57,250 | $154,080 | $78,774 | $82,491 |
| North Carolina | 640 | $104,240 | $78,160 | $153,570 | $78,512 | $83,235 |
| Arkansas | 90 | $103,900 | $80,120 | $159,440 | $78,280 | $90,042 |
| New Hampshire | 70 | $101,290 | $73,660 | $159,180 | $80,088 | $76,885 |
| Indiana | 570 | $101,120 | $67,430 | $131,980 | $77,014 | $82,519 |
| Georgia | 700 | $100,840 | $71,830 | $159,560 | $75,488 | $78,394 |
| Kentucky | 280 | $100,620 | $84,610 | $132,800 | $76,212 | $84,531 |
| Kansas | 270 | $100,000 | $83,460 | $164,110 | $74,400 | $82,604 |
| Oklahoma | 240 | $99,950 | $54,990 | $150,640 | $75,193 | $85,599 |
| Nevada | 100 | $99,010 | $66,150 | $155,190 | $78,484 | $78,500 |
| Missouri | 300 | $98,860 | $65,870 | $135,280 | $74,669 | $82,219 |
| Nebraska | 160 | $98,270 | $57,030 | $135,400 | $74,371 | $82,540 |
| Pennsylvania | 720 | $98,030 | $62,790 | $173,530 | $74,716 | $76,575 |
| Maine | 100 | $97,110 | $72,130 | $138,440 | $71,739 | $73,920 |
| Wisconsin | 280 | $96,210 | $65,160 | $127,820 | $72,311 | $76,849 |
| Michigan | 810 | $94,050 | $62,640 | $139,690 | $71,248 | $74,049 |
| Tennessee | 330 | $91,940 | $63,760 | $149,300 | $73,510 | $80,015 |
| Utah | 460 | $88,080 | $69,180 | $140,620 | $66,932 | $67,702 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $87,180 | $78,270 | $140,450 | $66,550 | $65,066 |
| Mississippi | 100 | $78,700 | $62,000 | $150,890 | $61,779 | $71,049 |
| Montana | 90 | $76,030 | $59,860 | $104,480 | $59,382 | $62,742 |
| Iowa | 200 | $64,270 | $62,390 | $115,140 | $52,030 | $59,286 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2131. *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.