Chemical Engineer Salary and Wages
| Wage Rate | Low (<10%) | Median (50%) | High (>90%) |
| Hourly Wage | $28.50 | $46.00 | $76.50 |
| Annual Wage | $59,300 | $95,700 | $159,000 |
- "Low (<10%)" indicates that 10% of workers earned less and 90% earned more.
- "Median (50%)" indicates that 50% of workers earned less and 50% earned more.
- "High (>90%)" indicates that 90% of workers earned less and 10% earned more.
- "N/A" indicates that data in not available
*The annual salary and wage data presented above represents U.S, Based workers with full-time employment and year-round schedules.
Additional Information
Chemical Engineers design and develop equipment used in chemical plants, as well as the processes used for manufacturing chemical products such as gasoline, plastics, cement, synthetic rubber, detergents, paper, and pulp. They also develop safety procedures for workers dealing with dangerous substances, and test their processes and equipment. These professionals must have specialized knowledge of chemistry, physics, and engineering. In May 2012, the median annual wage for chemical engineers was just about $94,300. The lowest ten percent earned less than $59,000, while the top ten percent earned over $150,000 a year.
The annual compensation for chemical engineers for the top five industries that employ these professionals are as follows:
| Petroleum and coal | $105,300 |
| Chemical manufacturing | $99,500 |
| Research and development | $97,900 |
| Synthetic fiber, synthetic rubber, resin and filament manufacturing | $94,800 |
| Architectural and engineering services | $93,400 |