Nanosystems Engineers Career, Salary and Skills
Nanosystems Engineers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $122,930 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 154,070. Wage data is published for 301 locations.
Occupation description
Design, develop, or supervise the production of materials, devices, or systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition, applying principles of nanoscale physics and electrical, chemical, or biological engineering.
O*NET code
17-2199.09
Job zone
5
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Experience
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$122,930
Hourly median
$59.10
Employment
154,070
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.00 | 4.88 |
| Science | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.00 | 5.00 |
| Speaking | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Writing | 3.88 | 4.62 |
| Active Listening | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Active Learning | 3.88 | 4.88 |
| Mathematics | 3.88 | 4.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 4.00 |
Typical tasks
- Supervise technologists or technicians engaged in nanotechnology research or production.
- Conduct research related to a range of nanotechnology topics, such as packaging, heat transfer, fluorescence detection, nanoparticle dispersion, hybrid systems, liquid systems, nanocomposites, nanofabrication, optoelectronics, or nanolithography.
- Synthesize, process, or characterize nanomaterials, using advanced tools or techniques.
- Prepare reports, deliver presentations, or participate in program review activities to communicate engineering results or recommendations.
- Design or conduct tests of new nanotechnology products, processes, or systems.
- Create designs or prototypes for nanosystem applications, such as biomedical delivery systems or atomic force microscopes.
- Write proposals to secure external funding or to partner with other companies.
- Provide scientific or technical guidance or expertise to scientists, engineers, technologists, technicians, or others, using knowledge of chemical, analytical, or biological processes as applied to micro and nanoscale systems.
Technology
- Adobe FreeHand MX
- Apache Hadoop
- Apache MXNet
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- AWS Elastic MapReduce (EMR)
- Breault Research ASAP
- CP2K
- CPMD
- CSC Elmer
- Dassault Systemes Abaqus
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Data acquisition software
- DL_POLY
Nanosystems Engineers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in CAMedian $130,850 · Employment 28,610
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in TXMedian $115,810 · Employment 10,820
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in Washington, DCMedian $151,340 · Employment 9,230
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in FLMedian $105,410 · Employment 8,600
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in MIMedian $121,000 · Employment 7,700
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $125,060 · Employment 7,530
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in MDMedian $129,770 · Employment 7,340
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in OHMedian $120,470 · Employment 7,000
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in LAMedian $99,070 · Employment 6,310
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in Detroit, MIMedian $126,250 · Employment 5,800
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in New York, NYMedian $135,300 · Employment 5,780
- Nanosystems Engineers Salary in NYMedian $117,600 · Employment 5,760
Related careers
- Molecular and Cellular BiologistsNational median $98,920
- Fuel Cell EngineersNational median $104,110
- Chemical TechniciansNational median $60,390
- Biochemists and BiophysicistsNational median $127,410
- Bioinformatics ScientistsNational median $98,920
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $74,510
- Industrial Engineering Technologists and TechniciansNational median $66,120
- Manufacturing EngineersNational median $102,440
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.