Side-by-side distribution
Automotive Engineer
$157,250
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 46.7%
- Live roles
- 375
Chemical Engineer
$109,375
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.1%
- Live roles
- 132
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Engineer, Embedded Vehicle Software
Senior Manufacturing Engineer (Arc Vehicle)
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Staff Robotics Software Engineer, Air Vehicle Autonomy
Site Reliability Engineering Manager, Vehicle Software
Automotive System Engineer
Chief Engineer, Space Vehicle Autonomy
Chief Engineer, Software-Defined Vehicle Platform
Principal Systems Engineer, Air Vehicle Systems
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Chemical Process Engineer
Staff Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) Engineer
Mechanical Engineer IV - Wet Chemical Tool
Chemical/Mechanical Engineer
Senior Chemical Propulsion Engineer
Senior Chemical Engineer – Process Development
Chemical Process Engineer
Bulk Chemical Delivery Engineer
Project Engineer (CAPITAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT) (CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING)
Chemical Propulsion Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$193,000 | 37 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$142,500 | 16 |
Relativity Space
|
$144,000 | 14 |
Scout Motors
|
$122,500 | 10 |
The Aerospace Corporation
|
$172,100 | 9 |
General Motors
|
$150,210 | 9 |
|
Inversion
|
$130,500 | 9 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$122,500 | 8 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Barr Engineering
|
$78,000 | 8 |
Mitsubishi Chemical Group
|
$108,019 | 6 |
KLA
|
$86,809 | 6 |
|
Intel
|
$162,160 | 2 |
|
Apex Technology, Inc.
|
$155,000 | 2 |
|
Applied Materials
|
$153,000 | 2 |
Samsung
|
$110,500 | 2 |
|
Inversion
|
$401,440 | 1 |
Automotive Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Denver | $219,831 | 3 |
| Seattle | $193,000 | 10 |
| Boston | $193,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $155,000 | 9 |
Chemical Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $143,000 | 3 |
Automotive Engineer vs Chemical Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Automotive Engineer is $157,250 per year (typically $130,000–$193,000), versus $109,375 for Chemical Engineer ($96,275–$130,893). That puts Automotive Engineer about 44% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Automotive Engineer and Chemical Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.