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Role hub · Materials Engineers

Materials 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 Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

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

Annual
$112,860
Hourly
$54.26
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Materials Engineers evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications. The median pay is $112,860 a year ($54.26 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (80% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$112,860
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
22,770
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
80% of workers
Key facts

Materials Engineers at a glance

  • Materials engineers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $112,860 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for materials engineers in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of materials engineers in the United States to grow 7.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 22,770 people were employed as materials engineers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Materials Engineers

SalaryMaterials Engineer salary

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The work

What materials engineers do day to day

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

  1. Conduct or supervise tests on raw materials or finished products to ensure their quality.
  2. Review new product plans, and make recommendations for material selection, based on design objectives such as strength, weight, heat resistance, electrical conductivity, and cost.
  3. Evaluate technical specifications and economic factors relating to process or product design objectives.
  4. Solve problems in a number of engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.
  5. Plan and implement laboratory operations to develop material and fabrication procedures that meet cost, product specification, and performance standards.
  6. Analyze product failure data and laboratory test results to determine causes of problems and develop solutions.
  7. Determine appropriate methods for fabricating and joining materials.
  8. Guide technical staff in developing materials for specific uses in projected products or devices.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all materials engineer jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services24.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +10.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $124,960
  2. Transportation equipment manufacturing17.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +18.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $128,560
  3. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals7.2% of all jobs in this occupation · -3.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $139,170
  4. Management of companies and enterprises6.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $127,190
  5. Primary metal manufacturing6.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $98,580
  6. Computer and electronic product manufacturing5.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $121,860

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

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

Complex Problem SolvingcoreReading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreWritingSpeakingMathematicsScienceCritical ThinkingActive Learning

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

Tools and technology

Software materials engineers use

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

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorksComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • ANSYS MultiphysicsAnalytical or scientific software
  • Dassault Systemes CATIAComputer aided design CAD software
  • Digital image correlation DIC softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Fault detection isolation and recovery FDIR softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Finite element analysis softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Fused deposition modeling FDM rapid prototyping systemsComputer aided manufacturing CAM software
  • Graphics softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Image analysis systemsAnalytical or scientific software

Also called: Material Engineer, Automotive Sheet Metal Engineer, Ceramic Engineer, Extrusion Engineer, Materials Development Engineer, Materials Research Engineer, Metallurgical 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 cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). 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).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.