Chemical engineers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

87.2k

Average Age

40.2

Estimated Job Growth

2.31%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$131,791

Average Male Salary

$134,501

Average Female Salary

$121,925

About

Chemical engineers are most often employed by the Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals industry. The average yearly wage for Chemical engineers was $131,791 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Chemical engineers are Houston City (West Central)--South of I-10 & Inside Loop I-610 PUMA, TX, Houston-Galveston Area Council--Brazoria County (North), Pearland City PUMA, TX, and Fort Bend County (North)--Mission Bend (Southwest), Cinco Ranch & Four Corners PUMA, TX. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Chemical engineers are Houston-Galveston Area Council--Brazoria County (North), Pearland City PUMA, TX, Houston (Southeast), Pasadena (Southeast), La Porte (South) & Seabrook (East) Cities PUMA, TX, and Houston City (West Central)--South of I-10 & Inside Loop I-610 PUMA, TX.

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Employment

Employment and salary information for the Chemical engineers workforce. Chemical engineers workforce in 2024 was 87,243 people, of which 21.6% were women and 78.4% were men.

Chemical engineers are paid most in Knox County (Northwest) PUMA, TN but are relatively concentrated in Houston-Galveston Area Council--Brazoria County (North), Pearland City PUMA, TX.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

68,441

Male Workforce

± 6.42k

18,802

Female Workforce

± 3.37k

The Chemical engineers workforce in 2024 was 87,243 people (21.6% women and 78.4% men). This implies an average annual growth of 54.7% between 2014 (56,387) and 2024 (87,243).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Chemical engineers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Wyoming ($175,258), Texas ($164,524), and Tennessee ($158,261).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$131,791

AVERAGE WAGE

#19 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Chemical engineers earned an average of $131,791, $61,913 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Chemical engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Chemical engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.295, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Chemical engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Chemical engineers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Chemical engineers and on wages for those in the field. Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals is the industry that employs the most Chemical engineers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Chemical engineers, by average wage, is Support activities for mining ($261,034).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

87.2k

2024 Workforce

± 7,250

2.85%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 11.5%

This graphic shows the share of Chemical engineers employed by various industries. Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals employs the largest share of Chemical engineers at 42.7%, followed by Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing with 31.9% and Petroleum refining with 18.1%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Chemical engineers in the US. The workforce of Chemical engineers in 2024 was 87,243 people, with 21.6% woman, and 78.4% men. The average age of male Chemical engineers in the workforce is 41.6 and of female Chemical engineers is 35.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Chemical engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Chemical engineers in 2024 was 87,243 people, with 21.6% woman, and 78.4% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (15,126 people), 30 to 34 years (13,564 people), and 35 to 39 years (10,980 people). Among them they concentrated 45.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 12% of Chemical engineers workers were Hispanic and 88% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (37.2%), Puerto Rican (26.1)%, and Colombian (7.67)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 67.7% of the Chemical engineers workforce were White, of which 18.7% were women and 81.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (13.5%) and Two or More Races (9.55%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Chemical engineers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Chemical engineers is Engineering but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Engineering.

Among the necessary skills for Chemical engineers, Science stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Chemical engineers need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Chemical engineers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (58,862 people), Business (3,588 people), and Physical Sciences (3,275 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Chemical engineers workers were Bachelors Degree (51,469 people), Graduate Degree (25,573 people), and High School or Equivalent (3,380 people).

The graphic shows the Chemical engineers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Chemical engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chemical engineers need many skills, but most especially Science, Critical Thinking, Active Learning.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Chemical Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Chemical Engineers are expected to see a growth of 2.31% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

2.31%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Chemical engineers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.