Materials Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$112,860
United States, 2025
Employment
22,770
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Develop new uses for known materials. Includes those engineers working with composite materials or specializing in one type of material, such as graphite, metal and metal alloys, ceramics and glass, plastics and polymers, and naturally occurring materials. Includes metallurgists and metallurgical engineers, ceramic engineers, and welding engineers.
- O*NET code
- 17-2131.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Perform managerial functions, such as preparing proposals and budgets, analyzing labor costs, and writing reports.
- Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
- Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
- Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
- Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
- Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
- Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
- Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$72,300
25th percentile
$88,080
75th percentile
$142,720
90th percentile
$175,720
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Writing4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Mathematics4.0
- Science4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Active Learning3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Quality Control Analysis3.4
- Operations Analysis3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 23 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
23
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Science | 4.0 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Mathematics | 4.0 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.3 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.0 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Materials EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| NM | $165,600 | 450 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $156,730 | 550 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $156,130 | 820 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $151,940 | 210 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $147,490 | 330 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $144,010 | 200 | 2025 |
| MD | $140,640 | 740 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $140,640 | 660 | 2025 |
| WA | $139,840 | 1,000 | 2025 |
| Orlando, FL | $138,430 | — | 2025 |
| Dayton, OH | $137,290 | 260 | 2025 |
| Albany, NY | $134,630 | 130 | 2025 |
| Decatur, AL | $134,370 | 50 | 2025 |
| DE | $131,320 | 40 | 2025 |
| Charleston, SC | $131,080 | 200 | 2025 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $130,440 | 50 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $130,040 | 100 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $129,480 | 340 | 2025 |
| LA | $128,670 | 90 | 2025 |
| CA | $128,470 | 3,020 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Materials Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.