Chemical Engineers
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 technology of chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Also called: Chemical Engineer · Development Engineer · Engineer · Engineering Scientist · Process Control Engineer · Process Engineer
Median pay (national)
$121,860
$78,520–$182,150 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
20,330
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+2.6%
~1,100 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for chemical engineers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $182,150 versus $78,520 at the bottom 10% — 2.3x. The median of $121,860 leaves roughly 49% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +2.6% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 1,100 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 43 states with released data, Oklahoma pays the most for this role (median $160,990, +32% vs the national median), while Nevada sits lowest at $78,220 — a 106% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Science
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Learning Strategies
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
- Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
- Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
- Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
- Design and plan layout of equipment.
- Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
- Perform tests and monitor performance of processes throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables such as temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure.
- Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
- Determine most effective arrangement of operations such as mixing, crushing, heat transfer, distillation, and drying.
- Develop processes to separate components of liquids or gases or generate electrical currents, using controlled chemical processes.
Tools & technology
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- C
- C++
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- R
- SAP software
- Structured query language SQL
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Absorption process simulation software
- Applied Flow Technology AFT Arrow
- Applied Flow Technology AFT Fathom
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Design
- Physics
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics