Pay for chemical engineers is unusually consistent across the country: $66,230 at the bottom of the range, $163,380 at the top, a spread of only 2.47×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of chemical engineers earn below $79,420 and ten per cent above $182,880 — a 2.3× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 46%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Albuquerque (NM) leads and Lansing-East Lansing (MI) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque NM | $163,380 | $78.55 | 1.44 | 80 |
| Pittsburgh PA | $152,290 | $73.22 | 0.71 | 110 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $139,220 | $66.94 | 1.74 | 40 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $138,120 | $66.40 | 3.4 | 1,510 |
| Mobile AL | $137,170 | $65.95 | 6.24 | 150 |
| New Orleans-Metairie LA | $136,870 | $65.80 | 3.12 | 190 |
| Lake Charles LA | $136,810 | $65.77 | 7.16 | 100 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $135,110 | $64.96 | 1.24 | 40 |
| Baton Rouge LA | $134,800 | $64.81 | 6.5 | 360 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $134,210 | $64.52 | 0.37 | 320 |
| St. Louis MO-IL | $133,450 | $64.16 | 0.62 | 110 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $132,970 | $63.93 | 5.17 | 50 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $132,820 | $63.86 | 1.51 | 640 |
| Toledo OH | $132,760 | $63.83 | 1.81 | 70 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $131,690 | $63.31 | 0.42 | 70 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $130,520 | $62.75 | 0.24 | 130 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $130,030 | $62.51 | 18.03 | 320 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur TX | $129,850 | $62.43 | 6.46 | 140 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $129,790 | $62.40 | 0.34 | 60 |
| Charleston-North Charleston SC | $129,070 | $62.05 | 0.87 | 50 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY | $129,060 | $62.05 | 0.58 | 40 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $128,610 | $61.83 | 0.97 | 180 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $128,110 | $61.59 | 1.88 | 410 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $127,770 | $61.43 | 2 | 790 |
| Tulsa OK | $127,360 | $61.23 | 0.83 | 50 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansing-East Lansing MI | $66,230 | $31.84 | 1.8 | 50 |
| Ann Arbor MI | $78,660 | $37.82 | 1.77 | 50 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi UT | $81,840 | $39.34 | 2.07 | 90 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer SC | $86,820 | $41.74 | 0.96 | 60 |
| Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area | $90,540 | $43.53 | 1.24 | 40 |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $93,330 | $44.87 | 1.87 | 40 |
| Kalamazoo-Portage MI | $96,190 | $46.25 | 2.73 | 50 |
| Ogden UT | $98,090 | $47.16 | 2.21 | 80 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi MS | $98,350 | $47.28 | 1.72 | 40 |
| Omaha NE-IA | $98,480 | $47.35 | 1.39 | 90 |
Kennewick-Richland has 18.03× the national concentration of chemical engineers — the densest market in the country for this role, with 320 employed locally. Pay there is $130,030, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $130,030 | $62.51 | 18.03 | 320 |
| South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $103,420 | $49.72 | 9.92 | 160 |
| Boulder CO | $125,800 | $60.48 | 7.35 | 190 |
| Decatur AL | $109,160 | $52.48 | 7.25 | 60 |
| Lake Charles LA | $136,810 | $65.77 | 7.16 | 100 |
| Baton Rouge LA | $134,800 | $64.81 | 6.5 | 360 |
| Columbus IN | $109,190 | $52.49 | 6.46 | 40 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur TX | $129,850 | $62.43 | 6.46 | 140 |
| Mobile AL | $137,170 | $65.95 | 6.24 | 150 |
| Worcester MA | $104,060 | $50.03 | 5.5 | 260 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $132,970 | $63.93 | 5.17 | 50 |
| Corpus Christi TX | $126,690 | $60.91 | 3.7 | 100 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $138,120 | $66.40 | 3.4 | 1,510 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $109,460 | $52.63 | 2.48 | 910 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $127,770 | $61.43 | 2 | 790 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $132,820 | $63.86 | 1.51 | 640 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $126,830 | $60.98 | 0.39 | 510 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $128,110 | $61.59 | 1.88 | 410 |
| Kansas City MO-KS | $102,320 | $49.19 | 2.54 | 380 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $110,760 | $53.25 | 0.6 | 370 |
| Baton Rouge LA | $134,800 | $64.81 | 6.5 | 360 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $134,210 | $64.52 | 0.37 | 320 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $130,030 | $62.51 | 18.03 | 320 |
| Cincinnati OH-KY-IN | $107,610 | $51.74 | 2 | 300 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 17-2041. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 81 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 447 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.