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Role hub · Chemical Engineers

Chemical Engineer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

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Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of chemical engineers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$125,040
Hourly
$60.12
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

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. The median pay is $125,040 a year ($60.12 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (91% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$125,040
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
21,070
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
91% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Chemical Engineers

SalaryChemical Engineer salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →Career changeChemical Engineer career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

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Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What chemical engineers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Develop safety procedures to be employed by workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to ongoing chemical reactions.
  2. Troubleshoot problems with chemical manufacturing processes.
  3. Monitor and analyze data from processes and experiments.
  4. Evaluate chemical equipment and processes to identify ways to optimize performance or to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
  5. Design and plan layout of equipment.
  6. Prepare estimate of production costs and production progress reports for management.
  7. 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.
  8. Conduct research to develop new and improved chemical manufacturing processes.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

SciencecoreCritical ThinkingcoreComplex Problem SolvingcoreReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision MakingSystems AnalysisSystems EvaluationActive LearningMathematics

Knowledge areas: Engineering and Technology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Design, Physics, Production and Processing.

Tools and technology

Software chemical engineers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareIn demand
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorksComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • Absorption process simulation softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Applied Flow Technology AFT ArrowAnalytical or scientific software
  • Applied Flow Technology AFT FathomAnalytical or scientific software
  • AspenTech aspenONEAnalytical or scientific software
  • CD-adapco STAR-CADComputer aided design CAD software
  • Cerebro CerebroMixAnalytical or scientific software
  • ChemicaLogic SteamTabAnalytical or scientific software
  • Chempute Software ChemDrawGraphics or photo imaging software

Also called: Development Engineer, Engineer, Engineering Scientist, Process Control Engineer, Process Engineer.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).