Chemical engineers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

68.5k

Average Age

40.1

Estimated Job Growth

4.29%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$113,571

Average Male Salary

$116,176

Average Female Salary

$102,652

About

Chemical engineers are most often employed by the Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals industry. The average yearly wage for Chemical engineers was $113,571 in 2020.

The locations that employ the most Chemical engineers are South of I-10 & Inside Loop I-610 PUMA, TX, Mission Bend (Southwest), Cinco Ranch & Four Corners PUMA, TX, and Brazoria County (North)Pearland City PUMA, TX. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Chemical engineers are Brazoria County (North)Pearland City PUMA, TX, Mission Bend (Southwest), Cinco Ranch & Four Corners PUMA, TX, and South of I-10 & Inside Loop I-610 PUMA, TX.

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Architecture & engineering occupations

Employment and salary information for the Chemical engineers workforce. Chemical engineers workforce in 2020 was 68,486 people, of which 19.3% were women and 80.7% were men. Chemical engineers are paid most in Farragut Town PUMA, TN but are relatively concentrated in Brazoria County (North)Pearland City PUMA, TX.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

55,294

Male Workforce

± 5.77k

13,192

Female Workforce

± 2.82k

The Chemical engineers workforce in 2020 was 68,486 people (19.3% women and 80.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of 22.9% between 2014 (55,724) and 2020 (68,486).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Chemical engineers.

During 2020, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Texas ($144,269), New Mexico ($141,992), and Oregon ($129,493).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$113,571

AVERAGE WAGE

#24 in the ranking (2020)

$55,954

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2020, Chemical engineers earned an average of $113,571, $57,617 more than the average national salary of $55,954

The graph shows the ranking of Chemical engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2020.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.296

WAGE GINI

In 2020, Chemical engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.296, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Chemical engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Chemical engineers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Chemical engineers and on wages for those in the field. Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals is the industry that employs the most Chemical engineers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Chemical engineers, by average wage, is Oil & gas extraction ($196,607).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

68.5k

2020 Workforce

± 6,424

2.82%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 13%

This graphic shows the share of Chemical engineers employed by various industries. Industrial & miscellaneous chemicals employs the largest share of Chemical engineers at 52.3%, followed by Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing with 28.2% and Petroleum refining with 19.5%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Chemical engineers in the US. The workforce of Chemical engineers in 2020 was 68,486 people, with 19.3% woman, and 80.7% men. The average age of male Chemical engineers in the workforce is 41.3 and of female Chemical engineers is 35.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Chemical engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Chemical engineers in 2020 was 68,486 people, with 19.3% woman, and 80.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (11,134 people), 35 to 39 years (9,594 people), and 30 to 34 years (9,535 people). Among them they concentrated 44.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2020, 8.14% of Chemical engineers workers were Hispanic and 91.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (56.7%), Puerto Rican (26)%, and Colombian (17.3)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2020, 75.3% of the Chemical engineers workforce were White, of which 16.7% were women and 83.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (13.7%) and Black (5.35%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Chemical engineers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Chemical engineers is Engineering but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2020 were Engineering.

Among the necessary skills for Chemical engineers, Science stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Chemical engineers need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Chemical engineers in 2020 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (49,612 people), Physical Sciences (2,422 people), and Business (1,804 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Chemical engineers workers were Bachelors Degree (40,586 people), Graduate Degree (20,038 people), and Some college (3,420 people).

The graphic shows the Chemical engineers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Chemical engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chemical engineers need many skills, but most especially Science, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Chemical Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Chemical Engineers are expected to see a growth of 4.29% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

4.29%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Chemical engineers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.