Chemical Engineer vs Data Scientist: $125K vs $120K Median Pay

Chemical Engineer vs Data Scientist: what changes?

Consider Chemical Engineer if you want to 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…. Consider Data Scientist if you would rather develop and implement a set of techniques or analytics applications to transform raw data into meaningful information using data-oriented programming languages and visualization software. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Chemical Engineer and Data Scientist. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Chemical Engineer

National median pay (2025): $125,040
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,100

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (21,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Chemical Engineer brief

Data Scientist

National median pay (2025): $120,230
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Analyze, manipulate, or process large sets of data using statistical software.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 24,800

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Data Scientist brief

How the national numbers differ

Data Scientist has the edge on annual openings

Data Scientist is at 24,800 annual openings, compared with 1,100 annual openings for Chemical Engineer.

Data Scientist has the edge on projected growth

Data Scientist is at 34.6% projected growth, compared with 4.7% projected growth for Chemical Engineer.

Chemical Engineer has the edge on median pay

Chemical Engineer is at $125,040, compared with $120,230 for Data Scientist.

54.5/ 100

Chemical Engineer

80.2/ 100

Data Scientist

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Chemical Engineer vs Data Scientist

Dimension	Chemical Engineer	Data Scientist
Median pay (2025)	$125,040	$120,230
Pay percentile	90.7 percentile	89.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.7%	34.6%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,100	24,800
2025 employment	21,900	275,600
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Chemical Engineer brief Read Data Scientist brief

Chemical Engineer vs Data Scientist: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Chemical Engineer

Data Scientist

How the national numbers differ

Data Scientist has the edge on annual openings

Data Scientist has the edge on projected growth

Chemical Engineer has the edge on median pay

Chemical Engineer vs Data Scientist

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