Chemical Engineer vs Materials Engineers: $125K vs $113K Median Pay

Chemical Engineer vs Materials Engineers: 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 Materials Engineers if you would rather evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Chemical Engineer and Materials Engineers. 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

Materials Engineers

National median pay (2025): $112,860
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 product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,300

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (23,800 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Materials Engineers brief

How the national numbers differ

Materials Engineers has the edge on projected growth

Materials Engineers is at 7.5% projected growth, compared with 4.7% projected growth for Chemical Engineer.

Materials Engineers has the edge on annual openings

Materials Engineers is at 1,300 annual openings, compared with 1,100 annual openings for Chemical Engineer.

Chemical Engineer has the edge on median pay

Chemical Engineer is at $125,040, compared with $112,860 for Materials Engineers.

54.5/ 100

Chemical Engineer

59/ 100

Materials Engineers

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 Materials Engineers

Dimension	Chemical Engineer	Materials Engineers
Median pay (2025)	$125,040	$112,860
Pay percentile	90.7 percentile	88.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.7%	7.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,100	1,300
2025 employment	21,900	23,800
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 Materials Engineers brief

Chemical Engineer vs Materials Engineers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Chemical Engineer

Materials Engineers

How the national numbers differ

Materials Engineers has the edge on projected growth

Materials Engineers has the edge on annual openings

Chemical Engineer has the edge on median pay

Chemical Engineer vs Materials Engineers

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