Chemical Engineering Salaries State by State

A career in chemical engineering can provide you with once in a lifetime experiences and striking benefits. Chemical engineers are in demand with a job growth rate of eight percent between 2016 and 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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As a chemical engineer, you can also expect solid prospects for chemical engineering jobs in the years to come and high earnings potential.

If you want to have an idea of what salary requirements you should consider as a chemical engineer, then it's important to know how much salary companies actually pay to their chemical engineers, in the particular states you plan to work or live in.

Chemical Engineering Salaries State-by-State

The salaries of chemical engineers vary from state to state. It's important to know the average annual earnings in the state you plan to work in so you have an idea of what salary range to require when pursuing a job as a chemical engineer. This will also help you compare and evaluate your work/life balance based on the state you choose to move to for work.

Here is how much you can expect to earn from a chemical engineering salary on average per year, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics:

What is the Average Salary for a Chemical Engineer?

Chemical Engineering degrees offer high earning potential in the year to come, and some of the highest-paid chemical engineering majors in the U.S. make upwards of $109,904 per year for a mid-career salary. The great news is that chemical engineering salaries have the potential to continue growing.

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According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018 report, chemical engineers made an average of $114,470 per year, which is on top of estimates for this occupation. This figure indicates an increase from its 2017 stats of $112,430 annually.

But this data varies across sources. For instance, Payscale data places the national average chemical engineering salary at $73,306 per year. Indeed reports the average salary for chemical engineering jobs as $92,308 per year, as of 2019. These salary figures also vary state by state.

For instance, chemical engineers in Berkley, California make $64,340 per year, which is 28% below the national average. On the other hand, chemical engineers in Orange County, California earn $84,743 per year which meets the national rate.

And chemical engineers in Vandola, Virginia can earn an average salary of $111,009 per year. The number one skill that allows you to have high earning potential is research and development, data analysis, and process improvement.

How Much Do Entry-Level Chemical Engineers Make?

Entry-level chemical engineers can expect an average starting salary of $68,704 per year, according to data from Payscale.

In this article we are going to include a list of average mean salaries can be higher or lower depending on where you work.

For example, average entry-level salary for a Chemical Engineer in Los Angeles, California is $70,355 per year, so if you’re considering to move to sunny southern California, you have the potential to make a good living; do keep in mind though that the cost of living is higher than average in Los Angeles so you might have to make a few adjustments or compromises to get the best of both worlds.

What Impacts Chemical Engineering Salaries?

The field of chemical engineering provides you with multiple diverse career paths, which includes opportunities in environmental engineering, petroleum, metrology, and plastics fields. And of course, there are many opportunities like to teach, consult research, consult or start a business.

This means you can make more money as you continue to grow your skills and career prospects. While your earning potential can increase significantly year-to-year as you build your career as a chemical engineer, Payscale reports that the total pay tends to max out in the late-career phase at around $191,346 per year.

You can also potentially earn more as a chemical engineer depending on the organization that hires you. Paysa reports that some of the companies that pay the highest chemical engineer salary include Xerox ($181,000), MIT ($160,000), US Santa Barbara ($148,000), Boeing ($147,000), and CTE Energy ($136,000).

There are several different factors that will impact your longer salary earnings as a chemical engineer. These factors include your education level, hard skills, hands-on experience and of course the location of work.

For example, skills that may impact your salary as a chemical engineer includes your hands-on experience building and testing chemical processes for products in the healthcare or consumers sector. Keep in mind that the more you specialize, the higher your earnings potential.

Which States Pay the Highest chemical Engineering Salaries?

Data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reveals that Texas, Alaska, and New Jersey as the top-paying states for chemical engineering jobs based on its May 2018 report. For instance, chemical engineering jobs in Houston, TX earned an average of $ 159,150 per year, and chemical engineering jobs in Dallas, TX earned an average of $150,080 per year, while chemical engineers in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX earned $141,070 annually.

Although the concentration of high paying chemical engineering jobs are in Texas, several other states also offer high average annual salaries for chemical engineer, such as Baton Rouge, Louisiana ($131,420), Idaho Falls, Idaho ($121,520), and Kennewick-Richland, WA ($$109,200).

Final Thoughts

Whether you just graduated and want to get your first job, or whether you're actively looking for a chemical engineering job or passively considering growing your career, thinking about breaking into this field can become complicated.

We hope this article can help take some of the pain off. It is important to know the salary potential of chemical engineering jobs, so keep this article as a resource that can help you make decisions.

By staying aware of the salaries of chemical engineers, you'll have wide open eyes when evaluating potential job opportunities as a chemical engineer. Good luck!