Chemical Engineers Career, Salary and Skills
Chemical Engineers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $125,040 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 21,070. Wage data is published for 118 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
17-2041.00
Job zone
4
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$125,040
Hourly median
$60.12
Employment
21,070
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.12 | 5.00 |
| Science | 4.12 | 5.12 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 4.62 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Active Learning | 3.88 | 4.75 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Mathematics | 3.75 | 4.75 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.62 | 4.62 |
Typical tasks
- Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
- Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
- Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
- Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
- Design and plan layout of equipment.
- Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
- Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
- Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
Technology
- Absorption process simulation software
- Applied Flow Technology AFT Arrow
- Applied Flow Technology AFT Fathom
- AspenTech aspenONE
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- C
- C++
- CD-adapco STAR-CAD
- Cerebro CerebroMix
- ChemicaLogic SteamTab
- Chempute Software ChemDraw
- Chempute Software Engineer's Aide SINET
- Chempute Software EstPro
- Chempute Software SuperPro Designer
Chemical Engineers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Chemical Engineers Salary in TXMedian $132,750 · Employment 2,610
- Chemical Engineers Salary in Houston, TXMedian $138,120 · Employment 1,510
- Chemical Engineers Salary in MAMedian $118,000 · Employment 1,460
- Chemical Engineers Salary in OHMedian $111,200 · Employment 1,030
- Chemical Engineers Salary in Boston, MAMedian $109,460 · Employment 910
- Chemical Engineers Salary in PAMedian $116,970 · Employment 810
- Chemical Engineers Salary in Philadelphia, PAMedian $127,770 · Employment 790
- Chemical Engineers Salary in VAMedian $136,380 · Employment 790
- Chemical Engineers Salary in LAMedian $134,800 · Employment 730
- Chemical Engineers Salary in COMedian $125,800 · Employment 720
- Chemical Engineers Salary in INMedian $113,160 · Employment 720
- Chemical Engineers Salary in MIMedian $103,230 · Employment 670
Related careers
- Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $66,120
- Fuel Cell EngineersNational median $104,110
- Biofuels Processing TechniciansNational median $62,470
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $74,510
- Nanosystems EngineersNational median $122,930
- Biomass Plant TechniciansNational median $102,040
- Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersNational median $58,040
- Chemical TechniciansNational median $60,390
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.